Journey of the Heart / Jennifer Burger

Advent renews our hope that Christ will come again in his glory

I look forward each year to retrieving our Christmas decorations from their hiding places and setting them out for all to see: our large gilded Nativity scene adorned with white lights displayed in our front dining room window, the needlepoint stockings with each family member’s name hung on the mantle, token items that have been part of our family tradition since our adult children were very young, to name just a few. These visible signs have meaning and capture the essence of the season in our home.

There is one “decoration” though that I do not have to pull out of the closet nor do I need to do anything to set it up, and that is our Christmas cactus plant. My mother-in-law gave it to us maybe 20 years ago, and it ranks among my favorites as I get to watch the buds start to appear, grow and then burst into life with vibrant red flowers!

It didn’t always bloom, however. Throughout the years I managed to keep it alive but without a single bud. Then in 2022, I was captivated by the beautiful display on a friend’s Christmas cactus, and I thought how nice it would be if our cactus bloomed, too.

So, I did a little bit of research and set out to give it a try. I transferred our cactus to a new pot with the proper soil, carefully watered and placed it in the proper light and temperature according to what was recommended … and waited.

Mind you this was not idle waiting. Throughout that year, I tended to it, checking the soil and moving the pot as needed for just the right light and temperature conditions.

It quickly started looking healthier so I was hopeful, but it would not be until late November or early December before I would know the fate of my efforts. The buds did appear and although not all of them bloomed, I was overjoyed with the few blooms that came!

I have continued to care for my cactus in the same way with renewed hope each year for what will come. This year, the blooms are more bountiful than last year! I have learned that more frequent watering is needed when flowering, so I’m watching and spending more time with it each day.

It is a marvel to consider how it knows when to “wake up” and burst into color this time of the year! The line “… heaven and nature sings” rises in my heart, as if the cactus is singing its own version of “Joy to the World” just for me!

Not only does this cactus bring me joy, but it reminds me how the soil of my own heart needs regular and proper care, nourishment through the sacraments and the life of the Church and, of course, the light of God’s grace to prepare for the arrival of Jesus, not just this time of the year, but year-round.

Living and growing in our faith this way, we are in a perpetual Advent. But we are given this particular liturgical season to intentionally spend more time in preparation to welcome the new bloom of the infant Christ in the manger of our hearts and to renew our hope that he will come again in the fullness of time. This is not only a marvel, but a great wonder of his love!

May this time of waiting be a joyful anticipation as the buds of new life make themselves known to us and adorn our hearts and our homes with visible signs of his glory!
 

(Jennifer Burger is a spiritual director and a member of St. Simon the Apostle Parish in Indianapolis.) †