Young adults pause to consider Advent

Under tinsel, twinkling Christmas lights and the warm glow of candles on a wreath, young adults recently talked about Advent -- and the hope, promise, and renewal that they feel the Christmas season offers.

The discussion took place during a Night of Reflection for Young Adults at St. Joseph's Provincial House in Latham.

About a dozen people attended the event, which was sponsored by the Albany diocesan Office of Evangelization and Catechesis. It was run by Annette Parisi, Elizabeth Gallagher and Matt Pacella, who are young adults from St. Vincent de Paul Church in Albany.

Time aside

"The purpose of the evening was to get us all away from the hustle and bustle of the holidays," Ms. Parisi explained to the group.

Waiting, said Ms. Gallagher, can be a spiritual practice, and the challenge to Catholics should be to see Advent as a liturgical season in its own right, not just as hurried preparation time for a big day.

"In our century, waiting is uncomfortable," she explained to the group. "We're focused on production, and waiting is not considered productive. But good things can also come from waiting, like reflection" and other spiritual gifts.

Time of hope

Ms. Parisi emphasized the "sense of hope" Catholics should feel during Advent, especially at a time near the darkest day of the year.

Like many young adults, she considers herself a "realist" in that she "sees the ugliness and hurtfulness in other human beings, including myself."

However, during Advent, "we're challenged to imagine and create a world that Jesus would like to see -- a world free of violence, fear and hatred. Our challenge is to make the world feel more like it did on Christmas, rather than it did on Good Friday. Advent is a time to believe in hope, despite all that is evil in the world. [The shepherds] all saw and believed that things would get better because of this baby. How often do we allow ourselves to hope? Would it be so bad to allow ourselves to hope, here and now?"

Ms. Gallagher agreed, encouraging the attendees to take time during Advent to "reflect on how we could make our world and lives more inviting to Jesus."

Time to relax

Since it was Mr. Pacella's first time presenting a reflection during a retreat, he spoke about his nervousness in thinking about topics to discuss in front of the group.

He finally settled on the "overwhelming stress" many young adults feel when faced with the Christmas holiday, stresses like long lines, empty wallets and a sense of cynicism.

He found a stress-busting antidote in an unlikely source: children. "Children don't seek proof for Santa," he said. "They don't seek proof for the birth of Jesus. They just believe. They have faith."

Reactions

In response to the presentations, Victoria Koprecki said that she learned about the value of waiting from her experience doing Perpetual Adoration of the Eucharist each Thursday evening during her college years.

She believes waiting in Advent should be seen as an active, not passive, concept that induces reflection and preparation for Christmas.

Bill Claydon said he came because he "wanted to hear other people's ideas" about preparing for Christmas. During Advent, he uses an interest in genealogy to locate and decorate the graves of long-forgotten family members from centuries past in crumbling cemeteries.

"It's a nice thing to do," he said, "especially if nobody is paying attention."

Getting ready

Megan Fannon, a parishioner of Christ Sun of Justice parish in Troy, enjoys the experience of getting ready for Christmas, both materially and spiritually.

Her approach towards Advent can be summed up, she said, in her daily Scripture study and an experience she had during a long post-office wait earlier in the week.

"It's not really that we're waiting. It's how we're waiting," she said. "On line, we were friendly, patient, sharing our stories. I try to be cheerful and friendly as much as possible."

Her Scripture study, she said, "gives me something rooted that helps me remember what the whole point of the season is."

(12/23/04)