We wait for thy loving-kindness, O God, in the midst of thy temple. — Psalm 48:8
The season of Advent has two central aspects: on the one hand, we prepare to commemorate Our Lord’s first Advent at Christmas; on the other, we prepare for His second Advent at the end of the age. Yet these two preparations are related, for it is only by allowing Christ to be born anew in our hearts by faith that we are made ready to glorify Him when He returns in unveiled majesty to judge the quick and the dead.
Although the season of Advent is not so strictly penitential a season as Lent is, it nevertheless has a penitential aspect—or, rather, we might say that it has an aspect of conversion. We hear the clarion call of the Baptist: “Repent ye, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand!” (Mt. 3:2). The coming of Christ demands that we put off our old ways of acting, thinking, and being so that we may be fitted to the new life made available to us in the Kingdom. We are called to an ongoing process of conversion that will enable Christ the King to exercise increasingly greater dominion over our lives. We must “prepare the way of the Lord” (Mk. 1:3) in our hearts.
We must be aware of the signs of the Kingdom, which advances quietly and secretly, like leaven, until the whole loaf is leavened (Mt. 13:33). The Lord often taught the disciples to be watchful, such as in the Parable of the Foolish and Wise Virgins (Mt. 25:1-13) and the Parable of the Faithful Servant (Mt. 24:42-51, Mk. 34-37, Lk. 12:35-48). Likewise, in the Epistle of Advent Sunday, St. Paul calls us to “awake out of sleep,” to “cast off the works of darkness,” and to “put on the armour of light” (Rom. 8:11-12). St. Peter also exhorts us: “Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour” (1 Pet. 5:8).
Conversion and repentance clarify our spiritual sight, sharpening our capacity to see the signs of the Kingdom and rousing us from the slumber of our attachment to worldly things and a selfish will. Such watchfulness entails guarding our hearts against the wayward passions that seek to distract us from Christ. Christ is the Truth (Jn. 14:6); to know Him and to be in Him allow us truly to see ourselves, others, and the world around us without illusion and unreality—soberly, as Peter says. Thus, returning to Christ through repentance brings us into contact with reality and reveals to us the advancing of the Kingdom within us (Lk. 17:21).
Advent, then, is a season within which to cultivate these habits of spiritual vigilance. One of the best ways to do this is to examine ourselves: What are the distractions that interrupt our life in Christ? Spending more time in prayer and spiritual reading is an excellent way to diminish these distractions. If we are unaccustomed regularly to read and meditate upon the Scriptures, this is also a good season in which to begin the practice. (We will have an insert on the practice of lectio divina on the Second Sunday in Advent.) Availing ourselves of the Sacrament of Penance during this season is also a powerful means of embracing this season of conversion.
Advent is also traditionally a time for considering the “Four Last Things”: death, judgment, heaven, and hell. Many Christians are uneasy with the idea of pondering death; however, the tradition of memento mori is an ancient one. It is worthwhile during this season to remind ourselves that whether our lives are long or short, our times and our seasons are fully dependent on the mercy and grace of the Lord. It is a venerable custom in the Church to pray for a “happy death”— that we may pass into the Church above fortified with the Sacraments and in the peace of Christ. The Saint Augustine’s Prayer Book contains prayers and a litany for a good death (p. 44).
Finally, Advent Sunday is traditionally the beginning of the new year in the Church, which makes it a good time to consider your own “new year’s resolution” for the Church’s year. Is there a particular virtue in which you’d particularly like to grow in the coming year? A particular spiritual habit you’d like to develop? This week can be a good time to give some thought to these questions and offer a small act of intention for this coming year. As we enter into this season, we will have several inserts focused on specific practices and customs related to Advent. May the coming Church year be a spiritually fruitful one for all of us!
—Fr. Corey
