Advent

Let all mortal flesh keep silence

And with fear and trembling stand.

Last Sunday began the Advent season. Advent, for Catholics, Eastern Orthodox and most Protestants has a twofold meaning, both related to the coming of Christ.

The first meaning is that this is a season of preparation for Christmas. We get ourselves ready for the observance of the birth of Jesus Christ, the only Son of God, eternally begotten of the Father, God from God, Light from Light, true God from true God, begotten, not made, one in being with the Father. He wasn't born on December 25 - not if angels appeared to shepherds in the fields that night, he wasn't; it's cold in those parts. No one really knows what the date of his birth was. But, December 25 works nicely. It was, in Roman times, the date of the feast of the Saturnalia. It was a time for a drunken orgy. The genius of Christianity has always been its ability to co-opt what it found in culture, and to turn what it found to the purposes of the faith. One of the rowdier days of the year became one of the holiest times of the year.

Besides, the shortest, darkest day of the year is December 21. Four days later, the light has started to return. "God from God, light from Light. . ." "And the light has shone in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it."

So we prepare. We heed the words of Jesus' forerunner, John the Baptist. Advent is one of the two great penitential seasons (Lent being the other.) "Repent, for the kingdom of Heaven is at hand!"

Ponder nothing earthly-minded

For with blessing in his hand. . .

We don't just prepare for Christmas during Advent. We are reminded anew of something we say at Mass on Sundays through the year:

Christ has died;

Christ is risen; 

Christ will come again.

Christ will come again. We don't know when; even Jesus didn't know that. And we don't really know how, despite the claims of mssrs. LaHaye and Jenkins. But we are firm in the faith that he will come, at a time and in a way of His choosing.

From the readings from the First Sunday of Advent:

It is the hour for you to awake from sleep. For our salvation is nearer now than when we first believed; the night is advanced, the day is at hand.

And:

So too, you must also be prepared, for at an hour you do not expect, the Son of Man will come.

And so we prepare, for the celebration of Jesus' first coming, and for His second coming. And we hope - we celebrate hope itself embodied and lived. I am wrestling much just now with demons and darknesses of my own. But it's Advent. Soon to come is the birth of the One who was the Living Witness that our demons do not win, and that the Darkness cannot overcome Him.

Christ our God to earth descended

Our full homage to demand.

May we all have a holy and blessed Advent.

Thank you for hanging out for a few!