December 1, 2024
Brothers & Sisters in Christ,
How quickly we go from Thanksgiving to the Christmas season in our culture. Actually the real quick switch is from Halloween to Christmas. Every store out there is decorated with evergreens and tinsel. There is Christmas music wherever you go. And then you come to Church and what do you see? Well, you don’t see Christmas trees in the sanctuary. You don’t see poinsettias or Christmas lights. Instead of the green, red, and gold that you see everywhere else, in here you are welcomed with the color violet, a jarringly different color. And violet is most appropriate for this time of year. Violet is the color of the sky just after the darkest hour of night that offers a hint that dawn is nearing the horizon. In addition to the color violet, we have a wreath with four candles with only one lit this weekend, which means we are clearly keeping vigil, and we have 3 weeks yet to go.
Instead of launching straight into Christmas after Thanksgiving, we recognize there is another season in between, a forgotten season, the season of Advent. And there are two themes the Season of Advent explores. The first theme unites our hearts with the ancient Hebrews who kept vigil for centuries awaiting the coming of the Messiah. You see this theme clearly in our first reading from Jeremiah. Jeremiah proclaims, “The days are coming, says the Lord, when I will fulfill the promise I made to the house of Israel and Judah. In those days, in that time, I will raise up for David a just shoot; he shall do what is right and just in the land.” The second theme of Advent calls us all to keep vigil for the return of Jesus at the end of time to judge the living and the dead. We can see that theme in our Gospel reading. Jesus says that at the end of time, after many tribulations, “They will see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory. But when these signs begin to happen, stand erect and raise your heads because your redemption is at hand.”
The rest of our society this weekend went straight from Thanksgiving to Christmas day even before the turkey made it to the fridge. As wonderful as Christmas will be this year, and I pray it will be a wonderful season for us all, I think there is something really spiritually healthy about the Advent season, of uniting our hearts with the ancient Hebrews who longed for centuries for the birth of Christ. There is something spiritually healthy about keeping vigil for the return of Christ at the end of time, to live our lives accordingly because we don’t have all the time in the world, and we will be held to account. I think the invitation this first weekend of Advent offers us is to give ourselves enough time in the coming weeks to truly experience this liturgical season before launching headlong into Christmas. Even if you have already put up your Christmas decorations, it is still possible to celebrate Advent by simply spending more time in prayer each day. Along those lines, families can have an advent wreath of their own on their dining room table to incorporate the lighting of the candles into their mealtime prayers together. We can also make the effort at some point during Advent to prayerfully read the Christmas story as found in the Gospel of St. Luke, as we enter this new liturgical year. We can also find ways to be more charitable to the people in need in our community during this season of Advent, or just by reaching out to those who are lonely or in need in our neighborhoods. There are so many ways to celebrate the Advent season so to keep vigil for Christ in meaningful ways.
St. Paul encourages us to open our hearts to Advent this year when he says, “Brothers and sisters: May the Lord make you increase and abound in love for one another and for all, just as we have for you, so as to strengthen your hearts, to be blameless in holiness before our God and Father at the coming of our Lord Jesus with all his holy ones.” The revelation the Gospel reminds us that every soul matters to God. Every soul in this parish boundary should matter to us, especially those who live on the periphery of society, as Pope Francis says so well.
We have lit the first candle. We have begun our solemn vigil. And even though Christmas lights are going up everywhere, as fun as all of that is, during Advent we are sincerely invited to not lose sight of the light that is beginning to appear just beyond the horizon. As we journey towards Christmas, we await the return of the light of the world and may he come soon, for he lives and reigns forever and ever. Amen.
Peace,
Fr. Steve