“Trust the past to God's mercy, the present to God's love, and the future to God's providence” (St. Augustine of Hippo).

Women of Mission: Following the Star

The Advent and Christmas seasons are full of journeys. At the beginning of Advent, we read that Mary, soon after conceiving Jesus, traveled what must have been a very physically challenging journey to stay with her cousin Elizabeth. Then, when we celebrate Christmas, we read about Mary and Joseph’s (again, likely very difficult) journey to Bethlehem, where Mary gave birth to her Son. Finally, at Epiphany, we read about the Wise Men’s journey to meet their Savior.

This year has been a journey. Every year is, but 2020, especially, has felt more arduous and demanding than most that we have seen. Traveling through the last 12 months has left many of us feeling weary, disconnected, and distracted. 

However, Advent and Christmas are a gift, a time for us to remember our mission and why we are traveling this journey as Christians seeking a closer union with our Savior. 

As we travel through Christmas and begin 2021, allow your eyes and heart to be redirected and transformed by the light of Christ. As Mary, Joseph, and the Wise Men followed the star of Bethlehem, let us focus ourselves this Christmas on Jesus, our true star, our hope, our light, and our God.

Going off Course

When I learned that the Catholic Women in Business theme this Advent and Christmas was focused on being women of mission, I exhaled with a smile. The end of 2020 is turning out to be just as hard as the beginning of 2020, and I felt such a sense of peace upon viewing Advent through the lens of Christ, drawing me toward his light with careful purpose.

My trek through 2020 left me empty by Thanksgiving. It’s been a while since I even viewed my daily grind as being missional or as steps along a journey toward a destination. Working alone in my home seems to have no end in sight, especially as the daylight hours became shorter. The business my husband and I are launching extracts every bit of time and energy I have left after my job, our home, our toddler are taken care of. My four-month growing tummy and the dear little one nestled inside it demands rest and odd eating routines to feel well. The reality is, I’ve lost focus of my mission and have become overwhelmed and let down in spite of my many blessings.

Returning to the Path

Yet, as CWIB co-founder Elise so impactfully writes, none of the journeys that surround the Nativity story was for naught. Each was ordained by Christ and carefully mapped out for the particular person on it.

When Christ sets a journey before us, he doesn’t expect us to embark on it fully prepared: “Do not carry any gold or silver or copper in your belts. Take no bag for the road, or second tunic, or sandals, or staff; for the worker is worthy of his provisions” (Matthew 10: 9-10). It’s not unusual for missionaries not to possess every single resource or provision as they travel the road of ministry; faith and trust are required more than full bags.

I never could have stood at the beginning of January 2020, looked down the calendar toward December, and imagined that it would look like it does. But the mayhem and the miracles of 2020 are all part of the carefully laid plans of a good and gracious God who has loved and guided us all along. It’s when we lose sight of His star that we lose track of our daughterhood of the King.

This Christmas looks very different for each one of us than the Christmases of years past. Whether we’re banned from our beloved sacraments or in church pews glancing around at other separated, masked worshipers singing muffled, memorized hymns, it won’t be hard to find disappointment if we search for it.

So, just look up in the darkness. The stars are out, and that twinkling light is Christ — beckoning you to Him in new and wonderful ways.

Laura Pugliano is co-founder of Ciccio's Olives, an exquisitely pure, single-origin extra virgin olive oil produced by her Italian in-laws in Calabria, Italy. She is also marketing and content strategist at the digital solutions provider Candoris, an alumna of Franciscan University of Steubenville, and most importantly, a wife and mother. Join Laura on Twitter, Instagram, and LinkedIn.