First Week of Advent

Advent is a special time in the Christian calendar. It is the beginning of the church year. We light the first purple candle marking the first of four weeks of preparation celebrating the first Christmas at Bethlehem, the birth of Jesus Christ, Son of God. The angels sang hymns of glory to Him, and shepherds knelt before this holy Babe in the manger in awe and adoration. The birth of the Savior of the world was prophesied since the dawning of humankind. Everyone had been watching for the signs of the coming of the messiah. They were expecting the prophecies about Him to be fulfilled, since every other prophecy had been fulfilled. They were on alert.

Now it is approximately 2019 years following His birth, since the start of today’s calendar is off by about 4-6 years from the actual year of the birth of Jesus. This first week of Advent not only commemorates preparations we can make for the birth of the Savior of all human beings in every land on December 25, it also calls to mind the very last prophecy yet to be fulfilled. It is the prophecy of the return of the Savior to humankind all over the earth. Just as the faithful were waiting for the Savior to arrive over 2,000 years ago, we are also alert to Jesus’ coming in glory at the end of time, when He will gather us into his heavenly and earthly kingdom of love and peace.

It is in faith we wait in anticipation, looking forward to this kingdom of love and peace Jesus told us about. This prophecy, soon to be fulfilled in Jesus, is in Isaiah 2:4, “The Lord will settle international disputes; all nations will convert their weapons of war into implements of peace. Then at last all wars will stop and all military training will end.” ~ taken from The Catholic Living Bible, Tyndale House Publishers

Advent is a time of preparing our hearts, minds and souls to be ready to greet Him again. When was the last time we spent an hour of prayer, uniting our hearts with Jesus, His Father, and the Holy Spirit, not just in a community setting like church, but in a one-on-one time with Him during the week? There are 168 hours in a week. It is a nice break with the rush of the season, social media, television, and life’s schedules, to carve out whatever time we can to feed our soul. We spend so much time on what we feed our body and/or our minds. Feeding our souls is like an oasis in the desert.

Are there relationships we can mend? Can we help another in need among us? We have so many opportunities to help others.

Perhaps we can be better earth-keepers, feed the wild birds of the forest and fields during these coming winter months, or take good care of our pets, especially those that are outside in the elements.

We can visit nearby shrines both for the events they hold as well as for the Christmas lighting displays many of them have. Or we can visit churches that hold special services, or make special visits as in the Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament, and/or prayer services if we want to share these moments with friends and family, or simply go by ourselves. New beginnings are always possible in Advent.

Anything we can do to change the only focus on consumerism, materialism, and/or divisions within society is a welcome change to our regular non-Advent days. Now is the time to settle disputes, build bridges and mend broken fences with friends, family and the world at large. We can build consensus, find common ground, build a safer community and world in which to live. It is possible to live in a more aware way resulting in saving this one planet on which we all live and breathe, at least at this moment. We can do better in so many ways.

If we have fallen away from our faith, or if we never experienced faith, now is a good time to open our hearts, minds and souls to the possibility that the resurrected Jesus, once a human and divine Baby, can transform our hearts, minds and souls. Ask Him to give you insight, knowledge and a special grace which can light a spiritual fire of love, peace beyond all human understanding. Advent is the time for prayers such as these.

There are as many ways to prepare our hearts, minds and souls as there are individuals among us. These are merely some suggestions to help us on our way to reflecting on Baby Jesus sent to you and me all these years ago, and to grow in awareness and raise our consciousness in realizing that Jesus does walk among us, and works in and through us. Jesus promises to be with us whenever we call on Him, until He comes in glory.

God Bless