A Season of Waiting: An Invitation for Advent 2021

Tonight, I am in Daytona Beach, Florida where I have just completed my first parish mission at Our Lady of Lourdes. Rather than replay my talks here, I invite you to visit the parish’s website or YouTube channel to view videos of both evenings. The purpose of this post is to share the questions I offered.

To what are we invited?

For what are we preparing?

Why are we waiting?

We are constantly being invited into a deeper and more intimate relationship with the Source of All Being – God the Creator.

We are preparing to encounter Christ in the unfamiliar, the unexpected, the unknown – collectively and individually. It is Christ who teaches us to be co-creators in this time and space.

By waiting, we acknowledge we are not God, and provide space for the Holy Spirit to breathe upon us so that we do co-create.

What is your Invitation for Advent 2021?

What are you learning in 2021?

What are you observing in 2021?

What is challenging you in 2021?

What is nurturing you in 2021?

What has wounded you since Advent 2020?

In what ways have you grown since Advent 2020?

Have you questioned the status quo in this past year?

Have you journeyed to the margins in this past year?

Have you experienced the discomfort of moving beyond the normative?

What experiences have you shared in this faith community of Our Lady of Lourdes?

What experiences have we shared as a nation?

What experiences have we shared as the people of God?

Have you encountered hope in any of these experiences? How?

Have you encountered peace in any of these experiences? When?

Have you encountered joy in any of these experiences? Where?

Have you encountered love in any of these experiences? When?

Have you encountered God, The Divine in any of these experiences? How?

Again, what is your invitation for Advent 2021?

It is not a trick question, but the answer is revealed through discernment and dialogue and discernment.