Advent: A Time To Remember
Advent
holds a very special place in my heart. In the Advent liturgy we are
able to experience with all our senses the haunting beauty of this time
of ardent longing and waiting. The smells of pine wreaths and burning
wax, the plaintive melodies of Advent hymns, the promise-filled
prophecies and Old Testament readings, the great Advent figures – they
all urge us to focus on what God has done for us in Christ Jesus. In
four short weeks we learn to wait, to hope, to be quiet, to prepare. How
appropriate that the Church would have us enter into Advent while the
world steps up its already hectic tempo, adding to the stress of our
lives.
For me, Advent is a time to
“remember.” The first Sunday of Advent is the Church’s New Year and she
begins by having us “remember” what the world was like before Christ,
without Christ. In a world that often forgets Christ this doesn’t take
much imagination. I have only to think of the times I myself have lost
focus for that aching longing for Him to resurface. I imagine Mary,
Joseph, Elizabeth, Zechariah… What was their prayer like, once they
knew the Messiah was coming? What kind of personal, internal
preparations did Mary make to receive Him? How will I prepare myself to
receive this Savior who makes Himself small and weak to rescue me from
pride and the need to control my world?
The liturgy is full of meaningful
and ancient symbolism and I experience a thrill as we light the first
Advent candle at the beginning of morning prayer in our convent chapel.
The time of preparation has begun! Later that evening, in the quiet of
my room, I light a candle on my own crafted Advent wreath and savor the
words of the next day’s reading: “Come, let us walk in the light of the
Lord” (Is 2:5). I think of the words of our Founder, Blessed James
Alberione: “God does not send all the light at once; only enough to see
the next step.” So true! And usually the light comes when it’s time to
make that step, not before. Thus I am reminded to wait and to trust. The
entrance antiphon proclaims: “Behold, our Savior will come; you need no
longer fear” (Is 35:4).
It’s dark outside; my window closed
to the sounds of the city. “Be still and know that I am God” (Ps 46).
Quiet – another important invitation of Advent. I lean back and relax,
letting the invisible but palpable presence of the Spirit enfold me. Continue Reading >>
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