What is Advent: It a season of the liturgical year in which the various aspects of the one Paschal mystery unfold. This is also the case with the cycle of feasts surrounding the mystery of the incarnation (Annunciation, Christmas, Epiphany). They commemorate the beginning of our salvation and communicate to us the first fruits of the Paschal mystery (CCC 1171). It is a liturgical season of four weeks devoted to preparation for the coming of Christ at Christmas.
Advent is a spiritual season of preparation before Christmas celebrated by many Christians. In Western Christianity, the season of Advent begins on the fourth Sunday prior to Christmas Day, or the Sunday which falls closest to November 30, and lasts through Christmas Eve, or December 24.
In Advent the coming of the Lord is anticipated, looking back historically to the age of prophecy foretelling the birth of the Messiah and looking forward prophetically to his coming at the dawn of each person’s eternity and his majestic coming on the last day of the present world. Advent is a period of spiritual preparation. A period in which many Christians make themselves ready for the coming, or birth of the Lord, Jesus Christ. During this time, Christians observe a season of prayer, fasting and repentance, followed by anticipation, hope and joy. Many Christians celebrate Advent not only by thanking God for Christ’s first coming to Earth as a baby, but also for his presence among us today through the Holy Spirit and in preparation and anticipation of his final coming at the end of time. All Catholics are urged during the season to attend Mass as often as possible.
When the Church celebrates the liturgy of Advent each year, she makes present this ancient expectancy of the Messiah, for by sharing in the long preparation for the Savior’s first coming, the faithful renew their ardent desire for his second coming. By celebrating the precursor’s birth and martyrdom, the Church unites herself to his desire: “He must increase, but I must decrease” (CCC 524). She reminds us that the Word Incarnate came for us, individually and collectively, and He will come back for us and call each one of us by name.
The theme song from one of my favorite old TV show Cheers had a line that asked the question: Don’t you want to go where everybody knows your name? It also contained a line that said: Making your way in the world today sure does take a lot.
Advent is, a time of preparation and a time of waiting. If you remember I shared that many Christians celebrate Advent not only by thanking God for Christ’s first coming to Earth as a baby, but also for his presence among us today through the Holy Spirit and in preparation and anticipation of his final coming at the end of time.
With that in mind then I began reflecting. What do we expend our energies and our time doing during this Advent season?
The line in the song from Cheers is certainly true in that it does take a lot to make your way in the world today. Perhaps even more so with the economy being what it is right now. Both spouses working, people in debt and getting deeper in debt every day, working longer hours under more pressure to produce, and all the time prices increase steadily. It gets overwhelming sometimes.
In Advent the Church calls us to take a moment, lift our heads, and look ahead. If we are to see the Star of Bethlehem then we must look up from the world and from the task in front of us to focus on something else, even if just for a little while. I wonder how many people missed the star because they were just too busy.
Christ came into this world to establish God’s Kingdom on earth. He did not come to do His will but the will of the Father that sent him (John 6:38). He recognized that He had come not to achieve worldly fame or power but to establish the Kingdom of God (Mark 1:14-15). On his appearance after his resurrection he told Mary Magdalene to go and tell his brothers that he was going to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God (John 20:17).'” However, once his work was completed he did not leave those who had come to follow him with nothing to do. In fact, He trained them and instructed them on what to do. He instructed them to take a field trip if you will and to “heal the sick and proclaim the kingdom of God” (Luke 9:1-2). He gave them the great commission (Matthew 28: 19-20).
Why did he give this commission? It was to continue the work of building the kingdom here on earth.
Yes, making your way in this world surely takes a lot, but where does that way lead? There is an old Protestant hymn that states: This world is not my home. I’m just a passing through. Advent is a time when we should be readying ourselves for the coming of the Savior. Too often, making our way in this world, crowds out the reality that this world is not our destination. We get so busy making our place in this world that we forget that our real job is to make a place for Christ in this world and in our hearts.
Yes, it is always good to go where everybody know your name. Not only does God know your name, He knows you so well He even knows the number of the hairs on your head (Luke 12:7).
Ruth and I hope everyone had a safe, fun, and blessed Thanksgiving.