Of advents and feasts

We are still in the liturgical season of Advent – the waiting for Christmas Day and the preparations that essentially go with it.  If we had listened to the priest’s homily in the last couple of Sundays, we should have gathered the aspects which we must delve into that will make the preparations contextually relevant.

Tantamount to the preparations one makes prior to the great adventure in one’s lifetime.  Our tendency is to shop for the “appropriate garb” – in tandem with the season in the intended destinations; adding “little accents” along the way – a wisp of a scarf or a teeny-weeny brooch, and how about that perky looking bangle? Then the shoes! Can’t leave those lamb skin boots behind (even if it will not be quite autumn weather)…or that minuscule clutch, just in case we may have a fancy night out.  And, oh, might as well stuff in the mohair bolero. In no time, the luggage is half full and we are still undecided on how many pieces of tops and bottoms to bring vis a vis the number of days of the trip. Between leaving behind the extra pair of dress shoes with the clutch, and the “fluffy” medicine bag that must not be squeezed, guess what gets thrown out? The “inconvenient” medicine bag, of course. We tend to feel impregnable to physical weakness.

But like the Advent’s spiritual preparations, we must likewise take full account of our internal wellness – that aspect that is not easily seen or felt – before we embark on our great journey.  Just like my dear compadre, who has always been perceived as fit and sporty (a regular golfer), but who was discovered with an aortic aneurism when he recently suffered a minor cardiac infarction. Good thing it was known in time for medical intervention to rectify the physical anomaly. So is the importance of internal physical preparation prior to a big trip. We must ensure that all possible steps are taken – vaccination, check up with our doctor, basic medicines for emergency situations. At the outset, we must begin our journey stress-free.  If  we are bogged down by extra baggage, literally and mentally, we will not be able to get the most of our journey. Trust me – leave the worries behind and start the adventure with only excitement and a mind that is open to all possibilities.

So, when Christmas comes around, we are ready to embrace this sacred feast with all our heart and soul.  Then, Christmas becomes real to us in its essence, not garbled among the tinsels and presents and loud carols sung in drunken revelry. Christmas is the feast that is celebrated best in silence, deep within our hearts.

Just like the feast that is in the arrival at the destination of the journey of our lifetime – let it not be wasted by our being deaf and blind to the beauty and significance of the place.  Paris is not the tower or the museum or the cathedrals alone.  It is the quiet foggy walks in the evenings over the bridges of this City of Lights. It is the pretty smiles we meet, the giggles of little ones in the parks, the smells wafting from the café and boulangerie along the way. China is not just the Great Wall or Shanghai’s Pudong or Xian’s earthen warriors; it is more the numerous species of bamboo never seen thriving in neighboring countries, the serenity of a silent floating village, the breath-taking rock gardens formed by Nature and the variegated tribes and sub-cultures almost untouched by the modern world.

As this is my last column article for 2013, let me wish my readers a peace-filled Christmas and a better 2014. The journey goes on for all of us and it is up to us to make the journey tolerable, enjoyable or downright exhilarating.

“O little town of  Bethlehem

How still we see thee lie;

While mortals sleep, the angels keep

Their watch with wond’ring love.

For through your dark street shineth

The everlasting Love

The hopes and fears of all the years

Are met in thee tonight.”

Merry Christmas everyone!