Why Can’t Every Day Be Like …. ?

Do you recall Elvis Presley singing, “Why can’t every day be like Christmas?”

 Well, in the language of Las Vegas, I’d like to see Elvis’ Christmas and raise him Advent.

 “Say what?”  you ask.  Every day will “be like Christmas” – in eternity.  At least for those in a right relationship with God.  So, the more appropriate question is, “Why can’t every day be like Advent?”

Why Advent? Advent is a time of waiting. The Oxford definition of waiting is: “staying where one is or delaying action until a particular time or until something else happens.”  In short, waiting is supposedly doing nothing until something happens.  However, waiting for something or someone specific is not at all like doing nothing.  For example, on the eve of Thanksgiving, I was at the Midway Airport in Chicago waiting for my two oldest sons to pick me up.  It was late, raining, and dark.  They had texted me to look for a silver Dodge SUV. It seemed that all the silver SUVs in Chicago were there at Midway driving by the arrival area!  Waiting consisted of looking over each vehicle: is it an SUV?  If so, is it silver? If so, is it a Dodge?  If so, is Jason driving?

That may be the kind of waiting Advent should be.  Looking and asking, "was that Jesus?  Was God speaking to me?  Was that an inspiration of the Holy Spirit?"  Given that, every day should be like Advent.  We will become the best-version-of-ourselves if we look back over each day asking those questions.  St. Ignatius called it the “daily examen.”

Why can’t every day be like Christmas:  Every day will be like Christmas in eternity if we make the effort to make every day here like Advent.

If you would like a one-page, simplified guide to the daily examen, click here:Request Daily Examen Guide