Sometimes the true spirit of Advent can get lost in the social and commercial hubbub leading up to Christmas. But Advent is supposed to be a season of reflection, renewal, and repentance, and has indeed been nicknamed a “little Lent”.

As in Lent, our noblest intentions for observing Advent can fall by the wayside, sometimes rather quickly. So here are four practical things you can do over the next four weeks to deepen the spirit of the season and prepare a way for Christ to be born in you yet again.

Pray for someone you have trouble with. We all have someone we have difficulty loving: a neighbor; a coworker; a family member; the guy at the deli. Set aside five minutes every day to pray for that person; to wish them well; to ask God to bless them. If you have trouble doing that, just sit quietly with God. Ask Him to teach you to love. Five minutes a day.

Give something up. A “little Lent” calls for something a little like Lent. There’s the usual stuff: giving up sweets for Lent is pretty much a cliché, but at Christmas it’s nearly radical. Maybe fast one day a week. Be creative. Give up checking your phone for two hours a day. Three. Give up reading articles online that are only going to reinforce your view of people you disagree with/dislike (see above).

Give too much to the poor. Did you know that we have poor boxes in the church? We do: one at each door. Every Sunday put something in the poor box. Put in what you think is probably too much. (There’s an incredibly selfish part of your brain that will indicate this to you.) Do it when no one is looking.

Read the Advent gospels. Sometime during the week, set aside ten minutes to read the gospel for the upcoming Sunday. Here are the gospels for the four Sundays of Advent: Luke 21:25-36; Luke 3:1-6; Luke 3:7-18; and Luke 1:39-45, (46-55). Read the text slowly, almost as if you had just learned to read. Don’t analyze it; don’t worry about things you don’t quite get. But notice the parts that jump out at you, make you wonder, make you feel good, maybe even touched by God. When you listen to the homily on Sunday, see if the priest was touched by the same parts.
Have a great Advent. See you at Midnight Mass!