Practicing Advent

"Come, let us walk
in the light of the Lord."
(Isaiah 2:5)

Prison is a place where I have learned waiting and preparing. The response to any basic need, while in prison, requires waiting in line on numerous occasions. These include waiting for: meals, bathroom, laundry and laundry soap, phone,microwave use, commissary, mail, doctor and dentist appointments, visits, various counts (fog, census, standup), chapel use, recreational tapes and machines, various classes, etc.

Waiting allows time for spiritual growing, pondering and preparing. These imply patience, alertness, renewal, soul-searching, being awake and attentive, spiritual regrouping, yearning and nourishing.

Taking advantage of time (being aware of the present moment), standing with awesome wonder, dwelling in the light is what Advent is all about for me. This is presented in the reading for the first day of Advent: Isaiah 2:1-5 which concludes, "Come, let us walk in the light of the Lord!"

You are invited to read these related pieces:
Carol Gilbert, OP, and Ardeth Platte, OP -- Risking Time in Jail to Build a Nonviolent World
and Ponderings in Jail.

"Practicing Advent:" Ardeth Platte, OP.