Although I come from a different faith background, I understand the concept of Advent. A preparation period to ready yourself to receive a special gift from God. As a Muslim, my preparation period is the holy month of Ramadan, a four-week-long period of fasting, patience, and worship where we try to get as close as we can to God so that we may receive one of his greatest gifts: forgiveness.
As the days pass, we push ourselves to be better than yesterday. We switch up our routines and replace some of our daily pass-times – shows, games, friends, food – with the actions that bring us closer to God: almsgiving, lending our time to others, reading scripture, and worship. One of my favorite things about Ramadan are the “Taraweeh” prayers which are done with the congregation in the middle of the night. As we reach the last ten days, we increase our efforts and do our best to exert ourselves to make the most of the holy month. By the end of it, we have faith and hope that somewhere along the line, God accepted our efforts and gifted us the great gift of forgiveness.
Of course, Ramadan, as does Christmas, brings immense joy too. Therefore, we should make sure to celebrate and enjoy this special time. But these few weeks only come once a year, and that special day is only one day. So why not take advantage and spend just a little extra time than you normally do? Think about it a little more, reflect a little more, do something different this advent just so that you can say, “I took advantage of the chance that God gave me.” After all, once it’s gone it is gone, and who knows if we’ll get it again next year.
Thank you for letting me reflect with you, and I hope that I’ve helped you in some way during your Advent period.
Abdulrahman “Aboodie” Atassi
Notre Dame 2025