ADVENT is very special to me because year after year, my birthday (December 1) is within the Advent season. This year, Advent lasts for four Sundays leading up to Christmas — from November 29 to December 24.
The reflection of this year’s advent season has an even deeper meaning and significance to us as we are all going through the worst health crisis around the world, which has greatly exacerbated the hardships we are now facing politically, economically, and socially and therefore, in our personal lives.
The sermon of the Archbishop of New York Cardinal Timothy Dolan during the mass at Saint Patrick’s Cathedral has such a profound message to us Christians last Sunday, November 29, during the trials and tribulations we are now facing. But before that, let me share with you some interesting things I read about Advent.
According to christianity.com, “the word “Advent” is derived from the Latin word adventus, meaning “coming,” which is a translation of the Greek word parousia. Scholars believe that during the 4th and 5th centuries in Spain and Gaul, Advent was a season of preparation for the baptism of new Christians at the January feast of Epiphany, the celebration of God’s incarnation represented by the visit of the Magi to the baby Jesus (Matthew 2:1), his baptism in the Jordan River by John the Baptist (John 1:29), and his first miracle at Cana (John 2:1).”
“During this season of preparation, Christians would spend 40 days in penance, prayer, and fasting to prepare for this celebration; originally, there was little connection between Advent and Christmas.”
However, beginning the 6th century, “Roman Christians had tied Advent to the coming of Christ. But the ‘coming’ they had in mind was not Christ’s first coming in the manger in Bethlehem, but his second coming in the clouds as the judge of the world. It was not until the Middle Ages that the Advent season was explicitly linked to Christ’s first coming at Christmas.”
Going back to the sermon of Cardinal Dolan that my family got to hear during the televised Sunday mass during this time of the pandemic.
Cardinal Dolan said the message for us Christians during Advent is to WAIT. And he confessed how human as he is, he hates waiting.
And we all do, especially during this time of a fast-paced life and the sense of entitlement to fast results and instant gratification.
But Cardinal Dolan said life, in reality, is all about waiting. We experience this in our everyday life. We want for the mass to end, for the food to be cooked, for our train or bus ride, for our paychecks to be released or deposited to our accounts, for the results of an exam to come out, or for the results of a COVID test to come out.
Mothers need to wait for nine months and endure the hardship and suffering of pregnancy and childbirth but when the baby comes out, the joy of motherhood makes us forget the hardship we endured as we were waiting.
The Archbishop of New York said that God’s message for us especially during Advent is to WAIT. And he explained why. Dolan said waiting during advent helps us to: 1. Flex our emotional and spiritual muscles to strengthen our faith; 2. Prepare us until we are ready to receive the grace of God and the answers to our prayers; and 3. To make us realize God is in command, that God is in control.
Listening to Cardinal Dolan made me think about how this is so real in our life, especially this year.
Dietrich Bonhoeffer said, “The celebration of Advent is possible only to those who are troubled in soul, who know themselves to be poor and imperfect, and who look forward to something greater to come.”
The threat of the coronavirus to our lives and livelihood; the financial problems we are facing; the hatred and division in our families, in our nation, in our world; the feeling of emptiness and disconnect in our hearts and among us — these make us pine for a better tomorrow, for a better world, for solutions to our problems, answers to our prayers.
For us, Christians, or for people of other faith, or for those with no religion at all — we feel that deep need to plug into a higher power, a power greater than ourselves, than our might. For us Christians, that is God.
However, God uses our trials and tribulations to make us introspect as we wait, and search within our hearts if our own thoughts and actions go toward the direction of our prayers.
We pray for our good health and safety during this pandemic: do we do our part to protect us, or loved ones and others? Do we wear a mask, practice social distancing, avoid crowds, and sacrifice so that lives may be saved?
We pray for abundance in harvest, but do we plant good seeds? Do we nurture them with hard work? Do we protect them with integrity? Do we foster growth and protection in others? Do we rush things, sacrifice quality, life, safety and miss on God’s best?
We pray for enlightenment and peace, but do we search for and share the truth? Or do we lean on our own understanding, ego and personal agenda and false gods that twist our fidelity to the truth?
We pray for love and unity, but do we fill our thoughts and our hearts with the divinity of every human being and our equality in the eyes and heart of God? Or do we think we are more superior than others? Holier than others? Do we speak words and do acts of empathy? Compassion? Do we forgive or do we harbor resentment, revenge and ill will, instead of goodwill?
Do we choose to think of what we share in common with others rather than what makes us different and apart? Do we think and speak and act toward building bridges instead of walls?
We pray to honor and serve our God, but do our thoughts and words and action follow God’s Ways and calling in our life: “Whatever you do to the least of your brethren, you do unto me”? Do we think of the greater good and commit to something bigger than ourselves?
God is using our trials and tribulations to reach up to Him, to allow Him to mold us, to prepare us to receive His grace.
Remember the candles that the priest lights up during each of the four Sundays leading up to Christmas? Christianity.com explains:
“The most common Advent candle tradition, however, involves four candles. A new candle is lit on each of the four Sundays before Christmas. Each candle represents something different, although traditions vary. The four candles traditionally represent hope, faith, joy, and peace. Occasionally, a fifth white candle is placed in the middle and is lit on Christmas Day to celebrate Jesus’ birth.
In Advent, God is asking us to WAIT. When we wait, we hope. When we hope, we have faith. When we have faith, we experience the joy and peace as we take that step of faith, and God will help us do things we cannot do on our own, and will take us to where we cannot go on our own — in His time.
“Peace be with you.”
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The opinions, beliefs and viewpoints expressed by the author do not necessarily reflect the opinions, beliefs and viewpoints of the Asian Journal, its management, editorial board and staff.
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Gel Santos Relos has been in news, talk, public service and educational broadcasting since 1989 with ABS-CBN and is now serving the Filipino audience using different platforms, including digital broadcasting, and print, and is working on a new public service program for the community. You may contact her through email at [email protected], or send her a message via Facebook at Facebook.com/Gel.Santos.Relos.
Consider the possibility that Christ has returned to the modern world, waiting for us ( humanity) to invite Him openly to begin His mission. His great Disciple, the Master Jesus whose self portrait shines on my wall every evening, will renew the Church all over the world, and return it to its true mission of teaching and healing.