(December 16, 2020) In churches throughout the world, the season of Advent is marked by the four weeks leading up to Christmas, the day we celebrate Jesus’ birth. Most people see it as a time of preparing for Christmas in the way of shopping, baking, and sending cards, and more religious activities like lighting advent candles and following an advent calendar. All these actions will culminate in church and family celebrations December 25. (I feel compelled to state the obvious, that December 25 is the day chosen to celebrate Jesus’ birth. There is no way to know which day was His actual birthday.)
The word ‘advent ‘comes from the Latin word ‘adventus,’ which is translated ‘to come’ and ‘to arrive.’ But if it means ‘arrival,’ then why do we celebrate Advent before Christmas? And if these four weeks are really meant to be a time of looking ahead to Christmas, then why are we looking ahead to an event that happened 2,000 years ago? Is preparing for December 25 all that Advent is intended for?
Absolutely not. In fact, there are three components to Advent, not just one.
The first, which is the most familiar to believers, is looking back to the historical event of Jesus’ birth in Bethlehem and preparing to celebrate it. In this sense, we look ahead to the day, December 25, when we celebrate a past event. This is not unlike the plans we make to celebrate our own family’s birthdays and anniversaries. So, yes, all our shopping and wrapping and baking and all the rest are appropriate activities to prepare for a celebration – in this case, the celebration of Christ’s coming to earth as a baby.
The second component of Advent is looking ahead to the second coming of Christ. This is understood to be at the final judgment, when each of us will have to answer for our own conduct and how well we loved our Lord through the people around us (see Matthew 25:41). John of the Cross (1542-1591) put it succinctly: “At the end of your life, you will be judged by your love.” And so Advent is a time
for us to reflect on our own lives, to draw near to God and ask forgiveness for our sins to prepare for the day when we will be judged.
The third component of Advent is acknowledging that Christ rose from the dead and is still alive. If we have faith, we believe that He is already with us; He already dwells in the hearts of believers. As I stated in a previous article, when we pray The Lord’s Prayer (The Our Father) we ask, “Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.” We are praying for heaven to come to earth, and through our loving attitudes and actions we can make that happen. Jesus himself said, “Amen, amen, I say to you, whoever believes in me will do the works that I do, and will do greater ones than these.” – John 14:12
And so Advent is a time of looking ahead to celebrate a past event; it’s looking ahead to a future event; and it’s looking at the present. It’s acknowledging God With Us (Emmanuel) and seeking to immerse ourselves deeper in His love so that we may share that love with those around us.
May God strengthen our faith; may we seek Him and His love within us; and may we allow Him to guide our thoughts, words and actions.
This article is a personal reflection by Gina Bedell. It and other reflections written by her are not intended to replace catechesis. Rather, they invite the reader to reflect on a given topic and then seek deeper answers through prayer, additional spiritual reading, and/or consultation with clergy or other persons who may guide the reader to a deeper faith and understanding of God’s love and will for their life. © 2020, Gina Bedell
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