“Woman naturally seeks to embrace that which is living, personal, and whole. To cherish, guard, protect, nourish and advance growth is her natural, maternal yearning” (St. Edith Stein).

Advent 2021: Responding to God’s Call and Growing in Community

This Advent, our leadership and writing teams are reflecting on the Visitation—Mary’s visit to St. Elizabeth while they were pregnant with Jesus and St. John the Baptist. Click here to read more.

Last Advent, it dawned on me how many of my goals were determined by my own desires for societal status, accolades, and wealth. I wanted the dream job, the dream husband, the dream family, and for everyone who saw these fulfilled dreams to fawn over my success and blessings. This mentality is grounded in our culture’s temptations toward a prosperity Gospel narrative: that if we are good, God will give us material wealth and minimal suffering.

It didn’t take long to determine that those dreams were born out of pride and selfishness. I felt if I could pray hard enough, God would grant me these wishes, like a magic genie. Thankfully, He did not answer my prayers of pride and selfishness but, instead, opened my eyes to where my gifts would be better suited: in my own community.

Practicing Mercy

Throughout this year, I’ve kept the Scripture passages that inspire the corporal works of mercy close to my heart: “For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, a stranger and you welcomed me, naked and you clothed me, ill and you cared for me, in prison and you visited me” (Matthew 25:35-36).

Where was I using my God-given gifts and resources to move outside my home, to tend to Christ’s sheep around me?

In my own life, practicing the works of mercy looked like becoming a pen pal in a prison ministry and keeping up with our letters throughout the year. It looked like volunteering for a time in a Catholic Charities immigration office, performing even small tasks, like scanning papers. Most recently, I have been called to serve as a volunteer Court Appointed Special Advocate for children in foster care.

The Gifts of Maternity

These acts of service within my community can seem like just a way to keep my schedule busy, and there are many who find temptation in a busy schedule. Often, however, we overcorrect and swing toward taking all responsibilities off our calendars that do not pertain to our immediate family. This Advent, I encourage you to lean into the uniquely feminine gifts of maternity described by St. Edith Stein—to cherish, guard, nourish, and advance growth—that have aided in the cultivation of your friendships, career, relationships, and family. Share those gifts with “the least of these” in the capacity where you feel called. For example, if you are a mother with young children, Advent can be a great opportunity for your family to practice the corporal works of mercy in a way that is more than donating money or unwanted clothes (however necessary these acts of service are).

For those, like myself, who are not raising little ones, consider adopting the spirit of radical availability to God that we can see in our Blessed Mother’s fiat: “Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord. May it be done to me according to your word” (Luke 1:38). Where are you feeling the weight of conviction on your heart? Consider bringing that conviction toward action by making your time, talent, and treasures radically available to others. You are still capable of bearing good fruit by opening your heart as a womb for Christ’s love to be nourished and delivered to the world.

St. Edith Stein said so well, “The world doesn’t need what women have; it needs what women are.” Transform your conviction into action that orients your heart to the world outside the walls of your home. With our rich Catholic faith, we have an opportunity to restore our communities and infuse dignity and compassion back into their bloodstream, especially as advocates and nurturers—as women. Prayerfully consider sharing your gifts and passions with the community around you, which needs exactly what you are.

Mindy Edgington is a fiery, Midwestern Catholic convert from St. Louis, Missouri. By day, Mindy works for a Catholic health care system in group purchasing and IT contracting. Outside of work, she is a Court Appointed Special Advocate for children in foster care, Bible study leader at her local parish, and avid reader who is proud of her library card. She now lives in Omaha, NE with her husband, Octavio, who is currently in law school at Creighton University. They're accompanied by their hound dog, Brody. You can follow her on Instagram @mindy.edgington.