Advent

The First Week of Advent -- Capuchin Friar Richard Hart

            Advent means a coming. Christ has already come in an historical event and that cannot be repeated, but the coming is incomplete. It implies the already and the not yet. Chronological time has a sacred dimension. Advent began in the fourth century and focused on the end time of the Lord. In the sixth century St. Gregory the Great was the first to associate Advent with the coming of Christ. In the Eastern church they have what is known as Philip’s fast during this time. No meat, dairy products or oil are allowed on Wednesday and Friday as they prepare for his coming.

            The purpose of Advent is a time of preparation. John the Baptist was tp prepare the way of the Lord and told the people to repent and reform their lives. Francis of Assisi considered himself the greatest sinner, so he was always open to repentance and conversion. All of us need conversion and redemption because there might be corners in our hearts where unjust anger, jealousy, hurts, lack of forgiveness might linger. How true was a sign at an Alcoholic Anonymous meeting which read, “Resentment is a luxury we cannot afford.” Advent is a time to focus on these areas plus any blind spots, biases, prejudices, or any fixed ideas. We need redemption from fixation, and Advent is the time for this to happen.

            Another way to prepare for Christ’s coming is to slow down our lives so we have time to relate to God in prayer and reach out to others who are in much greater need than ourselves. We often live in a frenetic pace especially at this time with parties, decorating, shopping, sending cards. We have to make sure that we are not living on the surface, or are easily leap frogging from one event to another. We are told to update our computers because of the possibility of a virus. Maybe there are spiritual viruses we are not even aware of such as being deluged with an overload of information or wanting more material things than we really need. Advent is a time when we set up a small crib for him in some dark corner of our hearts. If we prepare well it can become a dress rehearsal for the coming of Christ into our hearts now and in the future.       

The Second Week of Advent -- Capuchin Friar William Cieslak

            Advent means a coming. Christ has already come in an historical event and that cannot be repeated, but the coming is incomplete. It implies the already and the not yet. Chronological time has a sacred dimension. Advent began in the fourth century and focused on the end time of the Lord. In the sixth century St. Gregory the Great was the first to associate Advent with the coming of Christ. In the Eastern church they have what is known as Philip’s fast during this time. No meat, dairy products or oil are allowed on Wednesday and Friday as they prepare for his coming.

            The purpose of Advent is a time of preparation. John the Baptist was tp prepare the way of the Lord and told the people to repent and reform their lives. Francis of Assisi considered himself the greatest sinner, so he was always open to repentance and conversion. All of us need conversion and redemption because there might be corners in our hearts where unjust anger, jealousy, hurts, lack of forgiveness might linger. How true was a sign at an Alcoholic Anonymous meeting which read, “Resentment is a luxury we cannot afford.” Advent is a time to focus on these areas plus any blind spots, biases, prejudices, or any fixed ideas. We need redemption from fixation, and Advent is the time for this to happen.

            Another way to prepare for Christ’s coming is to slow down our lives so we have time to relate to God in prayer and reach out to others who are in much greater need than ourselves. We often live in a frenetic pace especially at this time with parties, decorating, shopping, sending cards. We have to make sure that we are not living on the surface, or are easily leap frogging from one event to another. We are told to update our computers because of the possibility of a virus. Maybe there are spiritual viruses we are not even aware of such as being deluged with an overload of information or wanting more material things than we really need. Advent is a time when we set up a small crib for him in some dark corner of our hearts. If we prepare well it can become a dress rehearsal for the coming of Christ into our hearts now and in the future.

The Third Week of Advent -- Capuchin Friar Marty Pable

   The November elections have come and gone. The President and the Congress have taken their offices. Whether we are pleased or displeased with the outcomes, one truth is clear: Human leaders are important, but they do not abide. Nor can they alone “save” us—from emptiness, from loneliness, from hopelessness. These are afflictions of the spirit, and they need a spiritual remedy.

   So today’s Scripture readings break into this vacuum with a cry of profound hope: “Fear not, be not discouraged,” says the prophet Zepheniah. “The Lord, your God, is in your midst, a mighty Savior.” The prophet even imagines God as singing—over his joy at being with the people he cherishes. St. Paul echoes the same upbeat theme: “Rejoice in the Lord always!” (Why should we)? Because “the Lord himself is near.”

   The nearness and presence of God in human life has sustained people of faith through the centuries. We still have to work hard, still have to put food on the table, still have to pay taxes, still have to endure physical and mental stresses. But somehow it is all right. Why? Because we are not alone. Our God is with us.

Biblical scholars tell us that the words “Do not be afraid” appear in the Bible 365 times—one for every day of the year. And the other frequent line is: “The Lord is with you!” I like to think that those two lines are like huge book-ends that hold the whole Bible (and our lives) together: “Do not be afraid; for the Lord is with you.”

   So today’s Scriptures are immensely comforting for us. But they also challenge us, as the Gospel reading does. The crowd asks John the Baptist, “What ought we to do?” And John tells them to treat people with kindness and with justice. If we believe that God is with us and for us, it ought to make a difference in the way we live. Speaking of Christmas, writer John Giles says, “There are no presents like presence.” That is, the greatest gift we can give to others is our nearness, our care, our love for them—just as God has come near to us in Jesus Christ.        

The Fourth Week of Advent

Advent is also a time of watching, a continual vigil. We will hear so much now that we have so many days to shop before Christmas. The countdown has begun. The more important message, however, is how many praying days do we have to prepare for his coming? The Hebrew Scriptures of light and darkness was made in reference to the Messiah. To the Hebrews light meant life, prosperity, happiness and Messianic times. Darkness meant death, sorrow, suffering. They knew that the Messiah would lead them from their present state of bondage and misery to one of prosperity and happiness. Salvation then is essentially a deliverance from slavery to freedom, from darkness to light, from suffering to joy. Jesus invites us to stay awake, and St. Paul states that now is the time to rise from sleep. We do not procrastinate but use the time we have left to make this a fruitful Advent.

Jesus invites to watch and pray. St. John of the Cross brings out the need for watching in his Ascent of Mt. Carmel. He states that in the active night we must watch, be vigilant and energetic to become empty, free and unhindered in our progress toward union with God. We need to spurn worldly goods and not become attached to material things or entrapped by consumerism.  As we watch and are vigilant, we set up a small crib for him in some dark corner of our hearts. Watching is mixed with great and joyful expectation. In sports every game becomes more important as the season reaches its climax especially for teams involved in the playoffs. The liturgy proclaims watchfulness, but often in schools, offices, shops and factories, the parties go on. Advent is often drowned out because Christmas starts for many before Thanksgiving and for some it ends the day after or with New Year sales. For many these can be hectic days because of so much that needs to be done. Find the time to rest awhile and become more watchful as you anticipate who is coming. So we sing, Come, O Come Emmanuel - God with us.