Advent is my favorite, but most challenging time of year. In her wisdom, the Church gives us this time to prepare for the coming of Jesus as an infant in Bethlehem, a second time at the end of time, and to our hearts every day. While this time is set apart for quiet contemplation and prayer, it is the loudest and busiest time in the world around us. Our to-do lists and event calendars can be overwhelming. I hope that you are able to step away from the bustle this week to attend to the most important preparation, that which takes place in the heart.
I am rereading Caryll Houselander’s classic The Reed of God again this year with some friends. It is a masterpiece from which I think I could read every Advent and continue to draw new wisdom. The very first chapter of the book is titled “Emptiness”, and I wanted to share with you my reflections.
Often we think of emptiness as void, sometimes meaningless. Caryll offers a different perspective. She encourages the reader to contemplate Mary’s virginity as a purposeful shape, a vessel in which to receive Jesus Christ. Through three beautifully vivid examples, she describes Mary’s role in the incarnation:
A reed - hollowed out so that the breath of God may be breathed through her in lovely song
A chalice - to receive water, wine, and the blood of His sacrifice
A nest - warm and nurturing to receive new life
Because of discomfort with emptiness, we fill our lives to the brim with clutter. Sometimes we have ambitious goals for our life but forget to invite the Holy Spirit to walk with us in discernment. This can lead us to force a rigid cube into the round vessel of our being. We must not be afraid of the space, silence, or pause this time offers us to hollow out our hearts and discover the shape and material God has purposefully designed us with for His plan.
God created us, body and soul, for a specific purpose. The Catechism tells us that we were created to know, love, and serve God in this world and to spend eternity happily with Him in the next. While this is our purpose, we are called to achieve it in different and unique ways. Our material and shape, “gives us the form of our life, the shape of our destiny.”
Returning to the three symbols she used to describe Mary’s virginal emptiness, Caryll describes further the materials and the process by which they are prepared for their purpose. The reed must be cut from beside the stream, hollowed out, and pierced with holes before the shepherd can play his song. The gold of the chalice must be gathered, heated, and beaten into shape. A mother bird must travel great distances to gather twigs, leaves, feathers, and string to shape her inviting nest.
While these are just three examples that best exemplify Our Lady’s virginity, we all were created with a sort of emptiness through which we are to receive Christ and fulfill His purpose for us. From what material did God create your body and spirit? How has He shaped you? How does He want to use your emptiness? What gift of Himself does He wish for you to receive? How does He want you to know, love, and serve Him this Advent?