The Season of Advent
Center Image: The Virgin Holding the Sleeping Child, by Bernardino Luini, c. 1530. Public Domain. Additional artwork by Juliette Pierce Kent
It is the season of Advent, when the Church contemplates the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ, who arrived so fantastically, so unexpectedly, as a tiny child, helpless and utterly dependent. He was like a great light, held inside a small vessel, that poured itself into the darkness of the world.
Advent is a time of quiet and watchful waiting, and a time for reflection. I have been reflecting on my journey home to the Church and how that journey continues day by day, even moment by moment. Christian life is a pilgrimage. I must step out on the path, again and again. It is a process of ongoing conversion and renewal. It is lifelong. And this realization brings a sense of peace.
The necessity to always begin anew, wakeful and freshly resolute, is inherent to faith. When I realize this in my bones I can finally surrender to the great mystery, the endless revelation of Christ. I am not in control. Ultimately, no one is. We are created beings in an order that is infinite and eternal. Jesus teaches us that we simply must be as little children. The path is a stepping stone path, it requires humility and trust to put one foot in front of the other.
A great theme of the Advent season is redemption, which means to ‘buy back’ in Latin. In the deepest and truest sense, “we are prisoners: we can’t save ourselves, so we wait and watch.” (1) Without Christ, we only wander in the darkness. Or, often, we stumble through the glaring madness of a deceptive landscape, a secular culture that denies the existence of spiritual realities; and we know not which way to go. This world, and all that exists within it, all that is contingent upon it, including our greatest loves and loved ones, is passing away. As the Psalmist says, we are as meadow grass and smoke. However, being created in the image of God we are deeply aware of our situation (even if unconsciously), and we sense that we are created for something far greater than what material reality provides, or discloses to our limited senses. Our ultimate fulfillment, purpose, and destination is the Kingdom of God. With Christ, we finally know the way we must walk to find freedom. It is a way illuminated by faith, and the gifts of grace. So as I walk on this pilgrim pathway, I pray to never forget to look up, to look higher! I keep my sights set on Christ, the eternal Pole Star.
As St. Paul tells us: “Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above … not on earthly things. For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God.” [2] Advent is the time for keeping vigil, with all of our attention fixed on the horizon, where the great Light will finally arrive to scatter the darkness. May our hearts rest in the promise of Christ.
References:
(1) Come, Lord Jesus, Timeless Homilies for Advent and Christmas, by Bishop Robert Barron, Word on Fire Catholic Ministries, 2023.
(2) Colossians 3:3