Reclaiming Advent
It seems as though we have been looking at Christmas decorations and advertisements for several months now and the question I ask myself is this: How do we reclaim Advent while the preparations for Christmas keep us so busy? It might be spiritually profitable for us if we make some Gospel connections. We know that the Gospel readings for Ordinary Time of our liturgical year are about discipleship. During the month of November, the final readings of the Church Year remind us to have hope in the resurrection even when it is more challenging to be kind, loving, and forgiving disciples of Jesus. These readings list the signs of the end times such as wars, famine, earthquakes, plagues, etc. It is so easy to place these events in the future or dismiss them quietly. After all, it can be frightening to think about them. However, these events are not about the future. Jesus tells us that these signs are “now” and there is no need to fear the end times. There is nothing extraordinary about famine, earthquakes, wars, plagues, etc. They have been a part of daily living for millenniums. What Jesus wants us to understand is that every day is the beginning of the future and we must live in the “now”, the present moment. How we respond to the events of each day has its consequences not only for ourselves, but for others. Our acts of kindness and self-sacrifice performed each day affect us as well as future generations. Basically, the Gospel invites us not so much to look for cosmic signs of the end of the world but to look at how we are faithful to discipleship.
The first Sunday of Advent connects this Ordinary Time theme to Advent and reminds us that we must stay awake, prepare, and be vigilant. Living life in the “now” and making the choices of a true disciple will lead to the Cross as it did for Jesus. The place where we least want to be, of course, is the Cross. Yet, the call of discipleship, this everyday ministry of presence to one another, is how we reclaim Advent. In spite of all the hustle and bustle of the practical things we do to prepare for Christmas, we can still listen to one another, look for the gifts within each person, and allow ourselves to become more vulnerable as we share our lives with one another. I once heard Mother Teresa give a presentation in which she said that we don’t have to go to India to minister to the poor. She said that we have the “poor” living in our own homes, convents, and rectories. Perhaps we need to ask ourselves how we see the poor. Who are they for us? Then we can reflect on who Jesus is for us. For us who claim to be disciples we must not allow Jesus to simply remain a prophet, a miracle worker, a healer, an exalted king and ruler, or a baby in a manger.Advent asks us to see Jesus as someone who responded to his call to bring the ‘Good News” to the poor. (See Isaiah 61:1-4) We are asked to do the same and reclaim Advent in our lives! Whether we are disabled or in a position where we can work more visibly with the poor, there is always a way to be present to the moment and relate lovingly to the persons Jesus sends into our daily lives.
Peggy Duffy, OSU
Advent, 2010
Posted on
Mon, December 6, 2010
by Content Developer