St. Frances Cabrini Roman Catholic Parish in Camp Verde recently shared a reflection on the first Sunday of Advent. 

“You are at the eye doctor and it’s time for the peripheral vision test,” the reflection, published in the parish’s Nov. 29 bulletin, said. “You know the one. It’s where you put your head up to a contraption and have to click a switch every time you see a squiggly line. If you don’t concentrate and maintain optimal focus, you will miss them and skew the outcome of the test.”

Concentration is an important aspect of our physical and spiritual lives for a multitude of reasons. Should we forget to be watchful, we will miss the fact that God is standing there waiting for us to accept his loving offer. 

“That’s why we need Advent,” the reflection said. “Let’s face it. We can easily get distracted, focus on nonessential and superficial things and lose touch with what really matters. Our attention wanders. We daydream and even become a bit overwhelmed and tired. All of the stresses and demands of life consume us and we find ourselves constantly trying to play catch-up rather than relishing the moment of the now.” 

The moments in which we find God in our lives are profound, no matter how short they may feel. They can often be lovingly and tenderly surprising. It is in this season of Advent that we say “Come, Lord Jesus, come,” and await his arrival. 

“These are Advent times reflective of the now moments when Christ first was born, when God surprises us during every time we care to watch and when the great surprise of Christ’s second coming dawns upon us all,” the reflection stated. “We have to be ready. We have to want to be there. We have to believe. And we have to have the desire to soak in as much as we can in the time we have before us.”