Why do we have Advent? Does it really make anything different for us? Unless you are a liturgical nerd or a priest, you might wonder. Some explanations could be, “I don’t know, it always just comes along.” Or, “to prepare for Christmas.” But Christmas came long ago, and if Christ has already been born, what is this Advent- waiting about? Are we really going to forget about his birth?
In fact, one great reason for us to observe Advent each year, is our forgetfulness. we may not forget the historical event of Christ’s birth but our hearts get drowsy and lazy, tired out by the anxieties of daily life. Maybe we distract ourselves from troubles by over-working, or becoming depressed, or becoming fascinated with drink, or pleasure, or out-of-control emotions, or gambling, or email, or sports, or surfing the web, or how people view us. Whatever it is, the clear message of Advent is, “Settle down for a while.” Open the door a little bit and let God in.
There is a method to help us do this. Each week’s First Reading is the carrot: something positive, a promise of good. Then the Gospel hits us with a big stick to wake us up. Take the encouraging First Reading this Sunday. It reminds us of the promise God made to his people: righteousness and justice will come to the earth. There will be security. The day of the Lord will arrive, though long delayed. Peace in our day.
How rewarding it is to desire such a time. Is it too good to be true or just a pious thought? Read the First Reading and ask yourself those questions. Spend time with them. Pray to God for help. The Responsorial Psalm will aid you. It asks God to make known his ways to us, to guide and teach us. The Second Reading urges us to put God’s promise of peace into action, even if we are not sure what it means. Love others and be loved.
Then there is the Gospel. It tries to wake us up, especially if the above has not helped. Signs in the sun, moon and stars, nations in dismay, the roaring of the sea and the waves, people dying of fright, and the Son of Man appearing in the clouds with power and great glory!
Terrifying.
Will such a shakeup happen literally like the gospel describes? We do not know. Maybe much worse is still to come, judging from the state of the world today. Do we live with fear of terrorists or ISIS, of proliferating nuclear weapons, of lone-wolf gunmen, spewing their rage against innocent people, of the world economy crashing, or the greed that fills so many hearts to overflowing—in our city, in our state, our world?
If we can say “You are right, I am afraid of these,” then we have a start on the reason we need Advent every year.
But maybe our hearts aren’t forgetful at all. Perhaps our issue is not being distracted so much as procrastination. How many people assume they can always turn things around tomorrow; their relationship with God can wait one more day? Haven’t we been hearing these gospel warnings for 2000 years now?! When he was a young priest, Pope Benedict warned people not become complacent. He told this story:
A traveling circus in Denmark caught fire. To fetch help the manager sent his quickest runner, who happened to be the clown. The clown was already dressed in his uniform so when he told the townspeople about the fire, they began to laugh. No, he said, the fire is blazing and it could spread across the dry grass and threaten the village. "Please, bring buckets of water," he pleaded. The people applauded his performance and as he became frantic, they laughed till they cried. The fire did spread and it engulfed the village. It was too late. Both the circus and the village burned to the ground.
At the beginning of Advent I feel a bit like that clown. But to tell you the truth, I feel even more like one of the townspeople. Like you I've heard the warnings before - they were false alarms. I'm eager to be amused, but not to take action. I often assume I can wait another day, at least until things settle down a bit.
Advent reminds us that now is that time. Now is the time to open our hearts to conversion. Now is the time for reflection and change. Do it now so God can bless our world with better things. Christ has to be born anew. Yes, it worked the last time, but we forget so easily and become complacent. His birth must happen again, in our liturgy, in our lives, in our world, so that his sacrifice will not be in vain. This is why we have Advent each year. This is why we need Advent each year.
