What is Advent?
Advent is upon us, and as I told myself last year and every year before that, “Wow, that certainly snuck up on me!”
We are blessed with a season of preparation as we begin the new liturgical year on the first Sunday of Advent. But have you ever stopped to ask yourself, “what am I preparing for?” or “what is Advent?” It takes a lot of humility as an adult Catholic to ask these questions; after all, they sound so simple, but you may be surprised at the spiritual depth in their answers. Yes, Catholics know that we have four Sundays in Advent leading up to the celebration of Christmas, but how is this liturgical season special? How should it impact our personal faith life?
It can be tempting in Advent to focus solely on preparing for the celebration of the anniversary of Jesus’ birth. However, it’s important to remember that the first part of the season is focused on preparing for Christ’s second coming. The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ website explains the importance of this “time of preparation that directs our hearts and minds to Christ’s second coming at the end of time and to the anniversary of Our Lord’s birth on Christmas.”
It is sobering to contemplate our personal need for healing and redemption prayerfully, and Advent provides us with a time to do this. I have found throughout the years that the more spiritually vulnerable I allow myself to be during these weeks of Advent, the greater the joy I experience at Christmas. I am a sinner in need of a Savior, and the raw truth is that we all are in the same boat!
So, how can we use this season of preparation that the Church has wisely set aside for us? First, I think it is important for us to pray for humility as we enter into this season. Lord, help us to know of our sinfulness and our hurts, and let us come with contrition and trust to find refuge and healing in you!
I realize that this can be a busy time of the calendar year to try to embark on such a vulnerable spiritual journey, but that same USCCB webpage “What is Advent?” provides an Advent calendar with a brief reflection or suggested spiritual question or task for each day. I encourage you to check it out and try to integrate some prayerful practices into your daily life during this Advent season. Another great idea is to pray on God’s word with the daily Mass readings during Advent, which also can be found on the USCCB website.
Don’t be afraid or embarrassed to start small. Cultivating consistent spiritual practices is more important than quantity. Let this Advent season truly be a time of spiritual preparation to welcome Christ into our hearts.
Father Dan Kavanagh is director of the Catholic Deaf Ministry in the Archdiocese of St. Louis.
