The Season of Advent is upon us. Advent comes from the Latin word meaning “coming.” The importance of this season focuses on the coming of our Lord. The Catechism stresses the two-fold meaning of this coming: First, the ancient expectancy of the coming of Christ, the long awaited Messiah. Secondly, it is a time for the faithful to renew their ardent desire for His second coming.
In reflecting back on the Lord’s first coming into this world, we contemplate again the great mystery of the incarnation when the Lord Jesus humbled Himself, taking on our humanity, to enter into our own time to free us from sin. But we also recall that Jesus will come again to judge the living and the dead. Every year during the season of Advent, we find ourselves in this in-between time.
It is a time of hopeful expectation. A time that brings with it new possibilities in our relationship with Jesus. During this season, Our Lord wants to burst forth into our lives anew, in a deeper way.
But sometimes I wonder if this season really gets noticed for most people. It seems to me that in our culture, even for Christians, it is something that is in the background – like very soft playing music that is hardly noticed. After all, we see Christmas decorations are already up throughout our cities and have been even before Thanksgiving.
Even when Advent is celebrated, people often view it as “waiting” for Christmas. But Advent is about expectation, not waiting. Waiting is something passive. To expect something is to hope with great conviction for that which we believe will come true. In other words, what I have longed for will become reality.
The Advent attitudes of waiting, expecting, hoping, and anticipating something new somehow speaks to the deepest desires of the human heart.
The world, as we know it, is filled with many wonderful things and experiences – deep joys and many satisfactions. But we must realize that nothing this world offers truly satisfies us completely. Deep in our hearts there is always something more.
For people of faith, we know that somehow God always has more for us. And God desires to share it with us.
The true meaning of Advent, at least in the mind of Jesus, is other centered. The Advent or coming of Jesus was centered on us….a wayward, sinful people who had become lost and didn’t really know it. The advent of Jesus came with an invitation to a new life, a new relationship, a new reality, a new and deeper experience of love.
Advent is intended to be a season of preparation for this experience. While we typically regard Advent as a joyous season, it is also intended to be a period of preparation, much like Lent. Though not as strict as Lent, prayer, penance and fasting are appropriate during this season. The color purple is associated with Advent, reminding us to receive the Lord’s forgiveness in the Sacrament of Penance. It also reminds us of the sacrifices we are asked to make.
Jesus wants all of us to experience this new life the season of Advent offers. Our preparation cannot go unattended if we want to experience this gift. And Christ wants others to experience this free gift as well, through us.
Advent is a time to open our hearts to this gift of new life, and then pass it onto others, especially the poor in our midst, so that they too might experience the coming of Christ working through us.
Our own desire for closeness to Christ requires us to draw near to our brothers and sisters, for nothing is more pleasing to the Father than this. When we do so, we bring the hope which surrounds this season of Advent to others, and Jesus brings life and healing to them.
Let us do our best to not give into the temptation to forego the Season of Advent even though during these next four weeks Christmas will be celebrated all around us. We would hate to miss out on the “more” that Jesus has to share with us. Have a blessed Advent.