Credopedia
Advent: Everything you need to know about the pre-Christmas season
Almost no other time has as many traditions and symbols as the Advent season. It is a time of waiting, hope, and preparation for the birth of Christ, which we celebrate at Christmas. But as beautiful as Advent traditions are, they only make sense if they remind us of the essential message of Christmas: Without Jesus, the Holiday would be like a birthday party without the birthday boy.
- What does “Advent” mean?
- The Messiah came, but not as expected
- Mary's attitude and the coming of the Messiah
- Jesus will return
- Jesus wants to be born in you
What does “Advent” mean?
Advent is a time of anticipation, of pausing and preparing for Christmas. And yet for many people, Advent is associated with hectic shopping and hunting for presents. Lights, music, and gingerbread are already omnipresent in November so Christmas seems to mark only the end of a hectic year.
But what does Advent really mean? And how can we experience Advent in its original meaning?
The Advent season, derived from the Latin “Adventus Domini” – “Coming of the Lord” – is a time of preparation for the birth of Jesus Christ and includes the four weeks before Christmas.
Advent used to be understood as a time of fasting and penance, and the liturgy of the Church still holds this. By consciously abstaining from celebrations or sumptuous meals, the faithful prepared themselves for Christmas – the birth of Jesus. Reflection, inner contemplation, and silence were the tools to experience the miracle of Christmas more consciously.
The Messiah came, but not as expected
Centuries before the birth of Jesus Christ, the people of Israel were already awaiting the Savior promised in the prophecies of the holy scriptures. However, Jesus fulfilled the Old Testament promises in an unexpected way: Instead of appearing as a mighty king who would liberate Israel from Roman occupation and restore the kingdom, God came into this world as a weak child. He was born in a poor stable in Bethlehem, far from worldly splendor and power. His path was not one of political triumph but of poverty and devotion.
Yet a king who lives in poverty and ultimately dies on the cross did not fit at all into the expectations of Jesus’ contemporaries. In the prologue to the Gospel of John, we read: “He (that is, the Son of God) was in the world […] but the world did not recognize him. He came into his own, but his own did not receive him.” (John 1, 10-11)
Mary's attitude and the coming of the Messiah
Mary, the mother of Jesus, is also surprised when the angel announces that she will receive the Son of God. She asks the angel: “How can this be, since I have no relations with a man?” And the angel explains to her: “And behold, Elizabeth, your relative, has also conceived a son in her old age, and this is the sixth month for her who was called barren; for nothing will be impossible for God.” (Luke 1, 34-37)
Mary refrains from trying to explain the strange event using human logic. She opens herself up to the mystery of God. She believes that God works beyond all human laws and can do anything. So she responds: “Mary said, “Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord. May it be done to me according to your word.” (Luke 1:38)
Jesus will return
The birth of Christ represents an important milestone in human history. Even the traditional calendar is based on this event and begins with the year of the birth of Jesus Christ (BC/AD).
But while the first coming of Jesus ushered in a new age of human history, the Bible also speaks of his second coming at the end of time. The return of Christ is indeed the goal of world history and as Christians, we confess this every time we pray at the Eucharist: “We proclaim your Death, O Lord, and profess your Resurrection, until you come again.”
As Christians, we are in perpetual expectation. We focus our lives on the moment we will meet Jesus – whether at his glorious return at the end of time or the hour of our death. When will that moment come? We do not know. “Therefore, stay awake! For you do not know on which day your Lord will come.” (Mt 24, 42)
Jesus wants to be born in you
This is what Christmas is all about: Jesus arriving in your heart, that he is born in you. So pause for a moment and ask yourself: What do I have to do and what do I have to leave behind so Jesus can enter my life?
Open your heart to his love and let him renew you. A good Christmas confession can spark the flame of renewal. If you say “yes” to God and “no” to everything that separates you from him, it will truly be Christmas!
CREDOPEDIA: Download our confession manual here
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