Lord, help me to focus on you!

A few days ago, I looked up the definition of the word “focus.” When used as a verb, focus means to direct one’s attention or efforts toward someone or something specific. So, what happens we don’t focus? It can negatively impact our lives, lead to poor decision-making and cause a general sense of confusion. Have you felt overwhelmed lately? Do you feel exhausted? Have you lost focus?

I can feel these symptoms during this time of year when I lose my focus on what is important. In the few weeks from mid-November to the end of December, life becomes a blur with all the holiday shopping, decorating, sending cards and attending social events just to name a few. By the time December 25 arrives, I just want to plop on the couch and take a nap. Enough is enough! 

Christmas is just a week and a half away. May I suggest (and this advice is for me too!), that we get off the holiday merry-go-round and ask God to help us focus on Him! Let’s give God the gift of our time in the remaining days before Christmas. He needs to be number one in our everyday lives. When I struggle with putting God number one in my life, I need to remind myself of a 15-year-old girl from Nazareth who gave herself without hesitation completely to God. Mary opened the doors wide and accepted God’s request to carry His son in her womb. She did it out of love and obedience to God. Once she did, there was incredible joy. She not only accepted God’s plan but embraced it in her own life. Mary dedicated herself completely to her Son and his mission. And if for a moment, you think that this was easy for a young girl to sacrifice herself to God on her own 2,000 years ago, think again. Don’t forget, Mary was betrothed to Joseph, so she had to navigate that future relationship too. Yes, even for the saints, faith is not always easy. 

When I think of the Blessed Virgin Mary, I picture our serene Mother of God with her eyes gazing upon her Son. Mary has a peaceful stillness to her which we should all emulate as we mediate on the coming of our Lord. By focusing on God in these remaining days of Advent, we too can become sharers in this great Divine mystery because God sends his Spirit into our hearts and souls. With the light of Christ in us, the Lord will shine brightly for those around us to see that the promise of God is coming true in our lives. 

To focus on God means shutting out the noise from the outside world. It means carving out time every day to spend in prayer with the Lord. For example, you could pray first thing in the morning and pray at the end of the day before you go to bed. Additionally, I would invite you to join us for the Advent-Christmas Novena from December 16-24. The 30-minute Novena will be prayed in the church on December 16-19 and 21-23 at 6 pm and on December 20 & 24 at 9:30 am. Prayer sheets will be available to take home if you cannot pray every day in the church. 

Yes, entering into prayer on a regular basis takes work. It takes discipline and courage to cut through all the little things that distracts our minds and hearts to arrive at a sacred, joyful and productive silence. 

A great place to start is to listen to the words of the Entrance Antiphon from the 3^rd Sunday of Advent:

“Rejoice in the Lord always; again, I say rejoice. Indeed, the Lord is near.”

This theme sets a tone of joyful expectation for the Lord’s birth and His Second Coming. Saint John Paul II once said the Gospel stands for Good News and thus “it is always an invitation to joy.” He said “God is the primary source of joy and hope for man” so we should be cheerful witnesses for Christ. We should spread the good news with hearts full of joy. 

Remember, Jesus is not a person of the past. He is the Word of God and the Light to our joy. Rejoice and be glad. May the peace of Christ be with you!