2025 Advent Devotion: Day 13

Saturday, December 13

1 Samuel 2:1-8; Luke 3:1-18

Advent is a season of joyful preparation. All around us we see signs of getting ready. Trees are trimmed, lights are strung, gifts are wrapped, and cookies are baked. These preparations are good, beautiful, and nobly done. But if we limit ourselves to only outward preparations, we’re skipping over the most important preparation. It is the preparation of the heart.

Our readings for today set Hannah’s prayer alongside John the Baptist’s call to repentance. Together they urge us to look closely at ourselves and to care more for the unseen in the heart more than the appearance of things.

In 1 Samuel, we meet Hannah, a woman who knew what it meant to be barren, overlooked, and forgotten. In her anguish, she prays silently in the temple for a son. Eli, the priest, sees her lips moving, but upon hearing no words, he mistakes her for being drunk. Yet while Eli judges the outward appearance, God sees the truth. Hannah prays from her heart, and God hears her prayer. After Samuel’s birth, she delivers this magnificent prayer of praise. Hannah rejoiced that God is the one who brings down the proud and lifts up the lowly, who fills the hungry and humbles the rich. Her song is one of justice and hope.

In the book of Luke, John the Baptist cries out, “Prepare the way of the Lord.” His message is urgent: do not take salvation for granted and examine yourself. To soldiers and tax collectors, to the crowds who came to Him, he admonishes them (and us) to be honest, to share what they have, do not cling to the things of this world, and do not take advantage of others. God is not fooled by appearances; He knows us and calls us to turn back to Him. What matters is the disposition of our hearts.

Self-examination invites discomfort because it may reveal things about ourselves that we’d rather not see. Suffering does not seem Christmasy and it is tempting to avoid it. After all, Hallmark heroines do not engage in acts of mortifying self-scrutiny. But self-examination is also an opportunity to a take a moment away from the noise of carols, crowded calendars, and endless to-do lists, to find time for stillness and introspection. In that quiet, even when it feels uncomfortable, we prepare our hearts to receive peace and reconciliation.

Advent sharpens our awareness of this truth. On the surface, this season is full of joy and light—reflected in our homes, our streets, and our celebrations—but we must make room within our hearts to receive joy and light.

So, as we prepare for Christmas with lights, music, and feasts, let us also prepare our hearts. Advent is a season not only of joy but of self-examination, repentance, and hope. The God who hears Hannah’s silent prayer and John’s cry, also sees us. He searches our hearts and calls us to prepare the way for Jesus.


Elizabeth Amato
Director of Undergraduate Research, Pre-Law minor advisor, Associate Professor of Political Science