Advent has begun, and things have probably already not gone according to plan.  (You couldn’t find those purple and pink candles in stores that do not sell them anymore . . .)   Here is a beautiful little meditation by Fr. Richard Veras on Christ coming to us in the unexpected:

In Advent the Church turns our attention to the two comings of Christ.  Both were unexpected.  No one expected God to take on flesh and become human; and Jesus warns us that the second coming will be at a time that we do not expect.  The Church also considers the coming of Christ that exists between the two comings, i.e., his coming to us in the present through sacraments, persons, and circumstances of our lives.  As his coming in the past and his coming in the future are unexpected, it would seem reasonable to expect that his coming in the present would happen in unexpected ways.  Reflect on how much of your present life is the fruit of events and encounters that you could not have planned.  Do you believe that these are not just accidents, but rather gifts of God’s love through Christ’s presence?  This would be the reasonable Christian belief.  May our faith and our reason lead us to be especially awake to Christ’s presence this Advent season, and may our hearts be humble and desirous enough to welcome his presence in the yet unimagined ways he will reveal himself.  May he grow in our lives as he grew in the life of Mary. (Magnificat Advent Companion 2008)