The Remedy for Chaos (Observation of the Week)
1. Another Christmas; Another Night of Hope
“For a child is born to us, a son is given to us;
upon his shoulder dominion rests.
They name him Wonder-Counselor, God-Hero,
Father-Forever, Prince of Peace.”
I heard these words again at another Midnight Mass, another midnight marking the beginning of another church year (or the end of another secular year, whichever you celebrate.) This year, these words vibrated in my bones, nearly shook the earth under me. I wanted those vowels and consonants to manifest, to take on flesh and bone, to come riding into the church building on a white horse and take his place in front of the altar. I imagined the words in all their glory, radiating shards of light through the tiny clouds of incense.
The older I grow, the more I realize just how unrelenting the chaos of the world is, how it begs for an incarnate Wonder-Counselor, God-Hero, Father-Forever, Prince of Peace to put it out of its misery. This is a grief observed, but grief observed lays the foundation for hope. Whether you’re a person of faith or not, this is an unassailable truth.
2. A Short Story
Sometimes, the best short stories don’t have many words.
Advent, CoVID Variants, and the Dawn of Meta (This Week's Observations)
Writers are, if nothing else, observers. It’s been some time since I’ve written on this blog, but I’ve decided to engage in a bit of a reboot. For the next few weeks, I’ll share a few short observations, things that caught my attention during the week (whether in writing, spirituality, business, art, or current affairs). If you enjoy this short series, perhaps I’ll keep it up through the new year. Feel free to drop me an e-mail to let me know your thoughts.
1. New beginnings
Monday, November 29. It’s the first day of the first week of Advent, which is to say the first week of good intentions. This Monday is much like every other Monday, except somehow more hopeful. Do you feel it?
2. Meta, eh?
This weekend, I opened Instagram and noticed where it once said “From Facebook,” it now says “From Meta.” Meta—as in the The Platform Formerly Known as Facebook. Meta—as in short for the Metaverse, which is best optimized with Meta’s Occulus Virtual Reality equipment (coming soon to a home near you). It’s only a matter of time before we’re creating realtime 3D captures of our ordinary moments and allowing followers to virtually embody those moments. But in creating artificial connectivity to repayable, archived moments, are we eroding actual human connection in the real world in realtime? Trading connection for connectivity—now that’s meta.
3. Overthrowing Paternalism
We are on the verge of another CoVID variant. This weekend, I watched an interview with the New York Times columnist David Brooks, in which Brooks intimated that if the government locked down schools, he expected “violence in the streets.” Brooks was not speaking hyperbolically. Paternalism has always been met with resistance, whether from governmental authorities, our very real fathers, or the Supreme Father who rules over all and is in all. In the words of Kurt Vonnegut, “And so it goes.”
Recording Your Advent (A sort of Holiday Examen)
I have written two spiritual books—a memoir about booze and finding God and a work of nonfiction about detachment from the stuff of earth and attachment to the Divine. I worked those words out in quiet, creative spaces, spaces where I did my best to silence the noise of the world and wake to music that is both human and Divine. I tried to translate that music, put it to words. And truth be told, that’s why I keep coming to the page. I believe the dance between the human and the Divine ought to be recorded. At least, as best as we can.
It’s Advent, the season of waiting and waking. As I wrote on Monday, ”Advent… is a time of preparation, reflection, and setting our hearts on the Magi's journey.” And so, I’m working out my own reflections in a quiet journal, one I won’t share here. Could there be a better practice of preparation and reflection than recording my honest reflections about life, faith, and the Advent season in which I am waiting for 2020 to be over?
Here’s the truth: I’d rather not do this alone. So, I’m inviting you to keep your own Advent journal. From now till Christmas Eve, carve out a little time each day and examine your day, your human dance with the divine. And if you want some tips on how to start, consider asking these four questions:
When did I feel most human, most alive today ?
When did I experience the presence of the numinous, the Divine?
Where did I fail to act with compassion, peace, or justice today?
How can I resolve to be more present to myself, the Divine, and others tomorrow?
Take some time for honest reflection at the end of each day. Keep your reflections in a particular journal, a Word document, or on Google Docs. And don’t be afraid to be creative. After all, we’ve been created to be creative. For bonus points, invite a friend to join the experience with you (simply change the email address in this form). What will you find? I don’t know. But don’t be surprised if it doesn’t draw you deeper into both the humanity and divinity of the Advent season.
Come Advent With Me (With Four Adventish Resources)
We’ve entered yet another Advent, a time to prepare for the contrast of coming light against the shadows of the world. This year is perhaps the shadowiest year of my four decades of living, and it begs for the coming of the Christmas light, which is to say, it begs for Advent.
Advent—the 26 days preceding Christmas—is a time of preparation, reflection, and setting our hearts on the Magi's journey. It's a time to wake from the things that lull you to sleep, to open your eyes to the sun rising in the east. But what if you’ve never observed these contrasting days, the days of anticipation? Where do you start?
Last night, a friend who is new to the liturgical calendar (the calendar governing the church year) asked, "How do I Advent?" A proper verb use of the noun because Advent is a thing we engage. I am no Advent expert, but I am a practitioner. So, if you’d like to learn how to Advent (or deepen your Advent devotion), consider these resources.
An Advent Podcast: Tsh Oxenreider and I recorded a podcast entitled "A drink with a friend," in which we discuss Advent and the liturgical calendar.
An Advent Devotional: Tsh Has also written a fantastic Advent devotional entitled Shadow and Light. It combines prose, art, and musical references to draw us deeper into the season of Advent. My family is using this one, and it’s great.
A Liturgical Year Book: Sister Joan Chittister has written a great book explaining the whole of the liturgical calendar. Grab a copy of The Liturgical Year: The Spiraling Adventure of the Spiritual Life.
Advent Adjacent Supplment: If you’d like to use the Advent season to examine your addictions, habits, or coping mechanisms, consider The Book of Waking Up: Experiencing the Divine Love that Reorders a Life. It's not an Advent book per se, but it is a book on waking up to the Divine Light.
Are there other resources you're using this Advent? Shoot me an email and let me know. I'd love to compile a master list.