The Season of Advent

The Season of Advent“The days are coming, says the Lord,when I will fulfill the promiseI made to the house of Israel and Judah.” Jeremiah 33:14Advent is a time of grace when we remember the coming of Christ our Savior. We join the Church in praying for the coming of Christ at the end of time as we also remember his coming in time. Dark where the days of his birth and yet they were brightened by his coming. As we remember Jesus coming in time and await his coming at the end of time we also experience his presence now. In Advent we pray for the grace to prepare our hearts to receive Jesus, to know his help. We are always trying to make ourselves ready for this; however, Christ wants us to receive him now in a special way at Christmas. Advent and Christmas are a reminder that Jesus came to us in the darkest of hours to save us. So too does he come to us in our darkest hours.Pope Francis speaks about a joyful Church. He does not speak of a Church that puts on a happy face. “The joy of the gospel fills the hearts and lives of all who encounter Jesus. Those who accept his offer of salvation are set free from sin, sorrow, inner emptiness and loneliness. With Christ joy is constantly born anew” (Evangelii Gaudium 1). Pope Francis speaks of something unfamiliar. Contemporary society does not believe that Christianity has anything to offer, but Christ has everything to offer to a world darkened by sin, to a world, which knows no joy. However, if we do not seek him, if we do not ask if this could really be true, we will never know the riches he offers to us.The uniqueness of the joy of the Gospel is something our world needs. We get so absorbed in day-to-day struggles that we believe that they are all we can experience in life. We feel that things will never get better. The joy of the Lord does not come from material circumstances. It does not come from anything in this world. Joy comes from God, from the extraordinary gift that Christ gives us. The joy of the Gospel is something that persists in every circumstance, even difficult ones. Just as God transforms the very crucifixion of our Lord into a victory, so can he transform our sufferings into something we could not have imagined before. The joy of the Gospel is something we do not expect because it is something that comes from God and not the world.How do we meet this extraordinary Christ? Seek him. If your parish has an Advent Mission attend it. Read from the Gospels, pray, ask God to lead you. Christ will not disappoint those who seek him. Pope Francis says, “whenever we take a step towards Jesus, we come to realize that he is already there, waiting for us with open arms.” (EG 3). The only question is do I want this Christ? Do I want his help, or do I wish to remain as I am?If you are ready to meet Christ ask yourself: ‘What separates me from Him? How easily do I let go of things I enjoy? Do I get upset if I do not have the praise of others? How do I act when things don’t go my way?’ Our attachment to these things can limit our relationship with Christ. Fasting is one way we can grow closer to God. As one Christian author put it: “Through fasting, we say no to self-reliance and yes to God. We feed our faith, rather than feeding our flesh.” Saying no to self-reliance is an excellent way to avail ourselves of the divine help we need.We need to pray as we await the coming of the Lord. When we pray for the coming of the Lord we are doing our part instead of expecting God to do his part and ours as well. We pray in the mass for the coming of Christ, but we would do well to reflect on our own individual needs: ‘Do I have a relationship with God? Is my life, my family going in the direction that would lead us to him?’ We can present these things in our own hearts as we pray, “Come Lord Jesus!” As we all prepare for Christmas together with the whole Church, let us entrust ourselves to the Blessed Virgin Mary who made the first Advent as she waited for the birth of her Son. Rev. Corey CampeauxSpiritual Adviser of the Mission in Louisiana