I clicked “buy now” and almost instantly wondered, would it arrive tomorrow? By the weekend? I pulled up the tracking history and eagerly examined the data. Growing up in a generation that waited for mail-order deliveries with ambiguous arrival windows — 4-6 weeks, how did we manage? — it’s astonishing to watch UPS, FedEx and the US Postal Service provide minute-by-minute updates about the location of items we’ve ordered.

My delivery made its way from Kentucky to Tennessee to Jacksonville to my local post office with little time stamps next to each arrival and departure. And, in case I forgot to check the app, I was also getting text messages that said things like, “Good news! Your package has been labeled!” and, “Your package is early and out for delivery.” It’s quite the ride, especially when you’re cooperating with Santa in December.

As a small aside to all parents: I don’t know who needs to read this, but if you order a trampoline it will come in a huge box that says TRAMPOLINE on it. The child who has shown zero interest in reading until the moment you pull into the driveway will say, “Hey, mom, does that say trampoline?” Learn from me: ship it to your neighbor.

In this era of instant updates, I can become quite consumed with the arrival of things. This week I probably looked up the delivery status of one item at least a dozen times; watching and waiting felt like a second job.

Advent and Christmas are also a season of waiting and watchfulness. This can feel abstract sometimes as we look at the quiet manger with livestock and shepherds; it can feel like another world. But the Advent and Christmas season invite us to recall that God became a human here on this earth to offer us salvation and that he will return. Advent is an invitation to prepare our hearts for this reality — to be ready.

Pondering this, I thought of all the ways I had watched and waited for an Amazon box and realized that these modern updates can be a distraction — but they can also enhance our spiritual life as well. The very technology and devices that distract me all week can also be a tool to help.

Some ways I’ve found to put technology to this use is to download the Bible to my Kindle app (several Catholic editions are available). Not only do I always have the Bible wherever I have my phone or Kindle, but I make a point to read a chapter of the Gospels before opening whatever I’m currently reading or scrolling through news feeds.

I’ve also loved using the Hallow app. There are free and premium versions, and the free edition offers audio of daily readings and meditations. It’s a great way to start a morning commute, and I have no idea how but after so many days of use my phone starts pushing reminders to me at the parts of the day I usually use it. It also offers a prayerful ad-free playlist for the liturgical seasons.

Many parishes now use text alerts for calendar reminders and publish their bulletins online. Each week, when we sit down to make the family calendar, I check what is happening at local parishes (remember to read up on what the Catholic neighbors are doing!) and, if possible, sign up for reminders.

Distractions run rampant, and if we want one, we will find it. However, the same technology that lets us track our pizza or Walmart delivery can also facilitate spiritual growth. Scripture and prayer are two powerful ways we can continue to prepare our hearts for Christ’s return. With the right programming, technology can remind us to refocus and reorient ourselves to the important truth of Advent and Christmas — God is with us, and he will return.