Grace Gibbons, M.T.S. '25
"During this time of year, I love to lean into the experience of Advent as a season of waiting. As we wait liturgically for the coming of Christ at Christmas, I have found that the practice of holding silence has become deeply important for me.
Amidst the busyness of finals, holiday preparations, travelling, and the many other demands on my energy, renewing a practice of silence (which has likely slipped over the course of the semester) helps to remind me that there is a dark stillness in which God is always present to me. Taking the time for twenty minutes of silence (or whatever I can afford after snoozing my alarm) in the morning provides a space in which the world around me reflects the liturgical season. The light of the sun has often just barely begun to warm the sky and there is a quietude on the street outside of my apartment window. It is here in these moments where I most feel the anticipation of a world yearning for the coming of Christ. And it is here where my own heart's yearning to remain in this space helps me to recognize the presence of Christ who became incarnate just to dwell ever more closely with me."
Crista Mahoney
Assistant Director of Spiritual Formation
"Advent can sometimes feel like a tease as a student. It is a time when we would prefer to wrap ourselves in blankets with steaming mugs and movies, or to let the season sweep us away from our end of semester to-do lists and dive into cookie baking or other festive preparations. It is also a time when we are called to internal preparation, when we hear the words of Isaiah encouraging us to 'prepare the way of the Lord,' or Paul’s invitation to 'strengthen our hearts.' This kind of preparation can feel harrowing in the life of a student, when final exams and papers stand between you and home for the holidays. How do we make time for prayerful preparation when we have academic duties?
And yet, in talking with students these last weeks, it is clearly a favorite liturgical season for many of us here at the CSTM! Why, when it can be so difficult to actually do with this rigorous academic schedule? I like to think that Advent offers us exactly what we need in this season. The growing darkness outside is counterbalanced liturgically by a progressive movement towards the season of light. We light candles on our Advent wreath and hear in the lectionary that the days are coming when God’s promise will be fulfilled. We sing hymns like 'My Soul In Stillness Waits' (Marty Haugen), to remind us that stillness is part of waiting, it is the liminal spiritual space we need to gestate new beginnings. Advent is a time to slow things down, to attend to our spirits, but how do we do that when it feels the world is pushing us to move at 100mph?
Recently a friend shared how her prayer at this time of year is simple: 'Holy Spirit, show me the light in my life.' Every day she asks God to illuminate those moments when light breaks through the darkness — an Ignatian examen of sorts. What if Advent this year, amidst paper-writing and studying in the TML, could look like a steaming mug of tea, a moment of stillness, and asking God to show you the light in your day? I am grateful that you all will continue to be sources of light for me this Advent! "