Advent with St. John Henry Newman
Reflections by Fr. Jason Smith, LC
Not long ago, I was celebrating Mass when someone’s cell phone went off—a full-throated marimba tone that echoed even louder off the marble floor. The poor parishioner fumbled through every pocket as the music grew louder, until at last it mercifully stopped.
I found myself thinking about how easily noise enters the sacred—not only ringtones, but the inner noise of distraction and hurry that fills our hearts even when the church is silent.
St. John Henry Newman observed, “It is scarcely too much to say that awe and fear are at the present day all but discarded from religion.” I think he meant that reverence fades when we forget how near God truly is.
Silence by itself doesn’t create reverence; awareness does—the sudden, trembling realization that God is present.
Advent calls us back to that holy awareness. It invites us to pause, to quiet the inner ringtone, and to listen for the gentle presence that transforms ordinary moments into holy ground.
So let us reclaim Advent reverence as we pray: “Come, Lord Jesus.”
Reflect: What are the distractions in your prayer and in your life that are keeping you from noticing God’s presence? How is God calling you away from them—and nearer to him—this Advent?
In this Advent series, Fr. Jason Smith draws from his personal experiences and St. John Henry Newman’s own Advent sermons, connecting themes like reverence, awe, and intimately encountering Christ in the simplicity and stillness of ordinary life. Pray with us on The Regnum Christi App, sign up to have each day’s reflection delivered to your inbox every morning, or follow the RC Spirituality Center on Instagram and Facebook.
Ordained in 2006, Fr. Jason has served as a Legionary priest throughout the US, primarily in New York and Michigan. His newest role has called him south, as the superior of the Houston community of the Legionaries of Christ.
