The Surprising Question You Need To Ask Yourself This Advent

Sometimes life feels like we are going in circles rather than moving forward. We blink an eye and here we are at Advent again, right on the brink of Christmas! What have I done since last Advent? How have I changed? 

But maybe that’s not even the right question. Maybe the question should be: how have I stayed the same? Have the most important things in my life, like my faith and my family, remained the most important things or have I wandered or grown weary? 

The years will come and go and what matters is not what changes year to year but what endures. Are we people who “trust in the Lord forever”, like the beautiful psalm invites us? Do we “take refuge” in Him instead of in the world? 

Let us be people that stay firmly planted, like “the wise man who built his house on the rock” in spite of the confused world swirling around us, stirring sand into the air. In Advent each year we confidently anticipate the coming of Christ who brings with Him into the world Light and Truth. In Advent, we recognize the rock on which we stand, or we recognize our need to climb back onto it. 

There are many around us, perhaps even people we love dearly, who remain on the sand– how can we invite them to join us on the rock of Christ? The fruits of the Young Catholic Professionals ministry have led me to realize just how powerful a personal witness and invitation to our faith can be, even through our ordinary working lives and daily tasks. And particularly in this season when we are especially aware of the gift of Christ’s presence to us, let us not forget that the child Jesus, infant that He is, softens hearts and melts barriers; let us not underestimate the power our witness to His joy can have, even in this confused world.

Let us hold on to the things that last, through prayer and a greater appreciation for our Catholic Faith. As we approach the birth of Our Lord, let us ourselves come alive again, and thus enliven others, by embracing the gift that will never change: God’s unending love for us in Christ Jesus.

Jennifer Baugh is the Founder and National Executive Director of Young Catholic Professionals (YCP), a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization on a mission to challenge, train, and inspire young adults working in various professions to Work in Witness for Christ™.