bits and bants vol.23
paradoxes of advent, and superfluous reading
The paradoxes in Advent are almost innumerable. They are everywhere we turn. It is a time for introspection, but also for joy. A time of silence and repentance, but also of welcome and rejoicing. For us moderns it is a time of increased busy-ness, unending lists, and new things that have to get done every day all while being told it’s the most wonderful time of the year to which our nervous systems protest.
I always love the darkness of Advent. A time to rest in the uncomfortable. Not to rename and sentimentalize it as some pre-Christmas, but a darkness to sit in and wait. We need to acknowledge the darkness and to sit with it, in every area of our lives. Especially when the light of artificial screens mold us towards the complete opposite: never turn away from the light of this screen, here’s a new 15 second distraction so you don’t have to sit with your own darkness and need! But without the darkness we can’t recognize the true light.
At the same time though, the daily Mass readings, and especially the Sunday Mass readings are calling us to prepare the way of the Lord! Not just explaining the historic advent in the days of Isaiah, John the Baptist, and Elizabeth, but today in our own hearts to welcome and rejoice in God made Man for us personally. How can we properly internalize that message without an expounding joy that should rightfully make us want to dance in the streets and make merry!?
It is such a paradox to feel and know both our extreme need for a Saviour and to feel and know the joy of knowing Him. It is a mystery, just as Christ coming once into human history was foretold but never imagined to happen in a squat stable. Paradox is living in the mystery. We don’t have to figure it out, we just get to receive the mystery into our lives.
bits:
I am going to be honest and say that I haven’t been reading too much simply because I feel very overwhelmed by all the things coming at me. I need less words coming into my head. I need less things being told to me. And I am now so completely done with everyone vying for my attentions and, of course, money. It will turn me into Scrooge if I don’t consciously curb it! And I’ve tried. And I realize I am right now, at this very moment, participating in it…soooooo….giant log in my eye…
I did very much enjoy this article delving into Tolkien’s love for St. Bernadette. A lovely facet into how he saw the world and his faith I think.
I wanted to point out this lovely website of Bishop Varden from Norway which I think is a singular example of a bishop doing something lovely and essentially Catholic; bringing daily beauty to people and relating it to the Faith. If you know me, you know how I feel about bishops, so I think I should do my due diligence and share this wonderful work.
reading, watching, what have you:
There has not been a lot of free time around here to watch much of anything. I watch sports with my boys as it’s something they like to do for fun at home which I think I should just have fun with. But Gemma and I watched My Cousin Rachel with Olivia de Havilland last weekend which was perfect, melodramatic gold!
When it comes to reading I’ve picked up a Muriel Spark because I made the realization the other day that I hadn’t read any of her books this year and she really is an author I want to read every year. A wonderful bonus is that her novels are short, so if you need to pad those reading stats she’s a great one!
I had my little instagram reviews up yesterday where I talked about reading the mega-blockbuster fantasy of the past year Fourth Wing, and I’m not sure if Instagram showed it to no one, or my review was very uninteresting, but it was just crickets in response to the stories which I expected to be completely the opposite! I probably just have too smart a crowd of followers who don’t even entertain opinions on this kind of book!
I’ll confess one of my December temptations and that is to shop for myself. I am not a gift giver. I find it difficult and energy draining because I am practical and disagreeable. So while I’m online shopping for whomever I should be shopping for I am very easily distracted into shopping for myself. I’ve made the personal promise to not buy anything unnecessary for myself through Advent, even though I did grab some things at Black Friday sales, but I am seriously looking into buying a new long, down filled winter coat after Christmas. If you’ve got favourites or hot tips for some under $500 send them this way and I promise I won’t buy till after Christmas!
Happy wonderful Feast of the Immaculate Conception, everyone! A day that truly does deserve our celebration and feasting!
Christy
😂😂😂 “I am practical and disagreeable” - so relatable!
I have this problem with gift giving too - I’d love to do something wildly thoughtful/fancy/unique for my loved ones but frankly all I want at Christmas is a fancy food basket filled with pate, bougie jams and chocolate truffles……so that’s what everyone is getting!
I thought your review of Fourth Wing was hilarious! And perfectly accurate! I’m sure I’ll break down and read it at some point. Maybe after I finally finish The Brothers Karamazov; by then I’ll need to read something that I don’t need to use my brain so much for 😂