Fr. Simons’s Letter - November 27, 2022

The most important things in life require preparation. When parents discover they are expecting a new child, they decorate a room, purchase clothes, and a family member or friend throws a baby shower. Similarly, in other areas of life, we prepare, whether for a new job, purchasing a new home, or embarking on a new vocation.

In much the same way, Advent is a time of preparation. But for what exactly are we preparing? The most common response is, "Christmas, of course, Jesus' birthday." And, yes, that is true. There are gifts to buy, decorations to hang, and cookies to bake. These are the signs of preparing for a great birthday party.

In the busyness and pleasure we take in making these preparations, we sometimes lose sight of the fact that we are preparing for yet another equally glorious event. In our time, we also await the realization of the Kingdom of God, inaugurated by Jesus but yet to be realized.

True, Jesus was born in Bethlehem, but he must also be born in our hearts. God is still waiting for us to collaborate wholeheartedly with his vision as Jesus did. He is still waiting for every one of us to say, "Hey, let me use my gifts and talents to help make the world the kind of place that you, God, intended it to be." So, to keep Christ in Christmas, we must first be serious about our Advent preparations. To help us focus on Advent, remember that there are tried and true practices of preparing well, spiritually, during Advent.

The readings for the Sundays of Advent focus our attention on these realities and guide our preparation for Christ's coming. The theme for the first Sunday of Advent calls us to be spiritually attentive. We hear John the Baptist's call to repentance and preparation on the second Sunday of Advent. The baptizer calls us to be prepared and vigilant as we invite Christ into our hearts and await the final judgment. The third Sunday, or Gaudete Sunday, introduces Jesus as the one who will fulfill the covenant and bring forth the kingdom. We hear the gospel stories that immediately precede Christ's birth on Advent's fourth and final Sunday. During these four weeks, we prepare for the Light, which comes into the world in Christ's birth, and as we await his final return in glory.

As we renew our sense of the liturgical celebration of time, I encourage each of us to remain faithful to the celebration of the four weeks of Advent. It is so easy to be consumed by the hype of the "holiday season," decorating our churches and houses for Christmas, spending more time shopping than in prayer, and hosting Christmas parties that begin before the season has arrived. I know it is an enormous challenge to remain faithful to the Advent season when our society finds it difficult to take the time to reflect and prepare as the church calls us to do. We are lucky to have a church that has provided us with seasons to witness the great mysteries of our faith. If we were to skip Advent or any other season, we would impoverish that witness.

One classic and reliable practice is the Advent Wreath. The circular wreath reminds us of God's eternal love. The evergreen of the wreath reminds us of the everlasting life we receive only through the birth of our Savior. The light of the candles represents Christ, the Light of the World, who entered this world to scatter the darkness of evil and show us the way of righteousness. The progression of lighting candles week after week shows our increasing readiness to meet our Lord.

So don't be afraid to light the wreath's candles. Light them at dinner time, along with a special Advent prayer or Scripture reading with your grace before meals. If the family is so busy that you don't have time for family dinner, take ten minutes together before bedtime to say some prayers around the Advent wreath.

If you are struggling to find words for prayer, please see the parish website and use the Reflections and Resources tab to find prayers to help you. The following Advent prayer from Fr. Henri Nouwen encapsulates what many of us feel and hope for during the Advent season:
 
Let us prepare to celebrate Christmas by putting our faith first this Advent. By striving throughout Advent to live in the presence of Christ, with the mind and heart of Christ, we will prepare room for him to dwell in us this Christmas. There is no better way than this to "get ready" for Christmas.

Blessings!