AGORA XXI: BLOG OF THE COMMUNITY OF SAINT PAUL

REFLECTION

ADVENT: FOR WHAT ARE WE PREPARING?
Javier Guativa

We all know that the season of Advent, which means “coming,” tells us of the Incarnation, the worldly beginning of Jesus. But, often less recognized, is another meaning of Advent, which is the telling of the “coming” of the end, the “second coming” of the Lord, which will complete the history of salvation and be the beginning of the eternal season, beyond our measure of time, in which God will be all in all.  The Lord has come and will come. So, to cultivate vigilance and to embrace these occasions of encounter with Jesus, the Church has developed this rich liturgical season.

Although the liturgical texts of Advent express the season with a unified presentation, especially through the daily readings of the prophet Isaiah, Advent can be divided into two parts, each with a particular importance.

●     From the first Sunday of Advent until December 16th, the liturgy expresses the eschatological (end of the world) aspect of Advent, inflaming spirits awaiting the second coming of Christ.

●     From December 17th to the 24th, the liturgy continues inflaming enthusiasm but this time for us to prepare directly for the celebration of Christmas.

But Advent is not so much a matter of timing, but a spiritual attitude that should last all year. We strengthen it in a special way during these days.  We are not expecting a birth that has already happened; nor do we believe that the end of the world is near.  Just as the past Christmas in Bethlehem is still present in our lives, so too, the future is also set: The Kingdom that Jesus inaugurated is here.  Advent is a time to set our alarm to keep us awake and continue to build the Kingdom of God in our world.

This Advent, as we read from the book of the Prophet Isaiah, we should not receive the meaning of the readings as utopian or unrealistic.  They are both a simple description of what has been achieved and, also, a proclamation of God’ plan, the program He offers to us.  It is fitting for us, especially during this Advent, to look forward with hope, with confidence.  We have the right to dream, as God dreams, of a new heaven and a new earth.  God does not lose hope, and neither should we.

Advent is an invitation of hope, to seek new frontiers, to look attentively to our God who will always be God-with-us.  That invitation and that outlook make us live with confidence and inner joy.  It is that joy which gives hope and leads us to live in a mindset of vigilance and commitment to improve the world in which we live.  Advent is an open door to the future.  The history of salvation has not ended, it has just begun.