An Advent Liturgy for the Busy Leader

What if our best leadership this Advent came not from achieving more, but from being more present to Christ?

(Photo: Unsplash)

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:

“Silent night, holy night,

All is calm, all is bright…”

I expected peace, quiet and reverence. I was in awe as we approached the doors.

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.

At first, I was upset by the scene,  but then I realized it reflects the Christmas season back home.

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 irony is that the quieter our hearts become — which admittedly is difficult to do any time of the year — the louder God’s voice can be heard.

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

Hope comes from our renewed longing and vigilant expectation for Christ’s coming — past, present and future. St. Paul calls us to “wake from sleep” and “cast off the works of darkness and put on the armor of light,” in order to live in hopeful readiness for the Lord who continually approaches the soul. (Romans 13:11-14)

Reflection for this week:

Where am I in need of shaking off a work of darkness to awaken from spiritual or leadership complacency? How can I renew my hope in God so I can mirror Christ in the way I lead, influence and prepare the people entrusted to me?

Second Sunday: Peace

Peace comes from trusting God’s nearness, knowing he wants to help us in his time.

Reflection for this week:

Where is God inviting me to let go of my anxiety and self-reliance so I can lead from a place of peace, trusting that he is near, he will help and he does not delay in giving the grace needed for the work before me?

Third Sunday: Joy (Gaudete Sunday)

“Rejoice in the Lord always. I shall say it again: rejoice! … The Lord is near. Have no anxiety at all…” Philippians 4:4-6

Reflection for this week:

If Christ is truly near in my life and my work, how would knowing that nearness change the way I lead, decide, respond and bring joy into my sphere of influence this week and beyond?

Fourth Sunday: Love

The final week, the theme is love. As Catholic leaders, love should be the driving force of our leadership.

Reflection for this week:

During this week of Advent, think about how you, as a leader of others, can better reflect God’s endless love for humanity with the people that you lead.

The scene I experienced in Bethlehem — chaotic, noisy, even irreverent — kind of mirrored my own heart at times: chock-full of good intentions, crowded with distractions.

But just as Christ entered a crowded, noisy, chaotic world in a humble manger, he will enter our restless hearts if we make him room.

As we move through Advent, may we prepare not just for Christmas Day, but for Christ himself: in our homes, in our leadership and in the workplace cultures we shape.