What if our best leadership this Advent came not from achieving more, but from being more present to Christ?
Advent doesn’t just invite leaders to slow down — it demands something more profound within us. It’s ironic that year-end pressure, crowded calendars and relentless noise also dominate the season of Advent.
Advent, a time of repentance, calls leaders to quiet the cultural rush and noise and tend to their interior life. The season challenges us to live, and thus also to lead, not from urgency but from awareness; not from end-of-year performance but from being present. Before we can guide others, Advent should make us aware of the need first to prepare our own hearts — a truth that struck me unexpectedly years ago during a visit to the Church of the Nativity, the site of Christ’s birth.
As I walked toward the entrance, the lyrics of Silent Night came to mind:
Instead, what I experienced was more like a zoo.
Pilgrims and tourists crowded shoulder to shoulder, pressing toward the narrow staircase that descends into the small space below the altar — the place of Christ’s birth, the scene of the Nativity. In the tight space, people angled for a position to take their photos of the silver star that marks the spot where Christ was born.
Today, “the most wonderful time of the year” has become the noisiest and busiest time of the year. The weeks leading up to Christmas, meant to be a time of reflection and preparation, are filled with deadlines, travel plans, shopping lists and work, wrapping up projects and trying to reach end-of-year goals. Hardly the stuff that leads to calm.
In the corporate world, December is a sprint to “make the numbers.” In family life, it’s often a scramble to check every box on the holiday to-do list and shopping list. With all that going on, Advent can sometimes get reduced to choosing which Mass to attend so as not to conflict with Christmas Day events.
The Advent season helps to quiet the soul. It’s a penitential season that includes fasting, almsgiving and prayer. The focus should not be on buying gifts but on preparing ourselves to be present to welcome and appreciate Christ on Christmas Day.
Luckily, the Church did the heavy lifting for us and gave us themes for each week of Advent to help us prepare. The themes of hope, peace, joy and love provide us with a way to pause and reflect on our inner life and leadership.
First Sunday: Hope
Reflection for this week:
