Advent with St. John Henry Newman
Reflections by Fr. Jason Smith, LC
I still remember how my mom used to wake me up as a teenager. An early riser, she’d start vacuuming around seven o’clock, making her way down the hall toward my room. Then the door would fly open and she’d sing, “Let the sun shine in! Face it with a grin!”
St. John Henry Newman writes: “It is the hour now for you to awaken from sleep. Aim at things, and your words will be right without aiming… Aim at seeing the King in His beauty.”
Advent is God’s alarm clock—heaven’s “vacuum cleaner” roaring through our spiritual drowsiness. It startles us awake, shaking us from the comfort of routine into readiness for joy. Grace doesn’t let us stay asleep; it invites us to rise and meet the coming King.
So as Christmas draws near, let us rise, pull back the curtains of our hearts, and let the light in. The day is breaking, and the Lord is near.
With awakened hearts, let us pray: “Come, Lord Jesus.”
Reflect: Is there a part of your life that has been lulled by routine, comfort, or fear of change? How can you invite grace into that space to rouse you from weariness into Advent joy?
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.
