How to celebrate advent season? Theme: "Watch and Pray" (Mk 13:33)

Archbishop Dominic Lumon *

An advent Christmas at Kanglatongbi Orphange Home in December 2012 :: Pix - Louriyam Bebica

Introduction:

Of all the Christian feasts celebrated in North East region of India, Christmas feast is the most awaited, the most joyful and memorable feast. Christians at individual, family, community or Church level make remote to proximate preparations for the grand feast - rearing animals for slaughter, buying new clothing, cleaning and decorating house, decorating the churches and making Christmas cribs, practicing Christmas songs, sending Christmas cards and gifts, spiritual retreats, conducting penitential rites and novenas, buying prize items for Christmas games and sports, etc.

Indeed the feast of Christmas deserves such preparations, for on Christmas Day, in the birth of Jesus Christ, God came to us - to be with us and to safe us. The Jews had waited for hundreds of years for this day - the birth of the Messiah. Bible attests that few Jews and wise people in the world, who kept waiting and watchful of the coming of the Messiah, the Prince of Peace, was able to see Him. However, many people, drowned by the cares of the world, did not prepare nor wait on his coming, and so they did not recognize him when he did come.

Only those who were waiting, watching and preparing themselves spiritually, morally and materially to welcome him were able to see him and experience the infinite joy at his coming into the world. For that experience of immense joy to happen this Christmas season, we need to make real preparation -"prepare a way for the Lord" (Mt.3:3). The season of Advent offers Christians that period of being watchful as a preparation for the feast of Christmas, which is close at hand and for the second coming of Christ, which can happen any moment.

Meaning and Spirit of Advent:

Advent, an anglicized Latin word adventus meaning "coming", is a season observed in all Christian Churches, a time of expectant waiting and preparation for the celebration of the Nativity of Jesus on Christmas day. It is the beginning of the Liturgical year, commencing on the first Sunday of Advent, which falls on 30th November for this year. This Latin word is the translation of the Greek word Parousia commonly used to refer to the second coming of Christ. For Christians, the season of Advent anticipates the coming of Christ from two different perspectives.

The season offers the opportunity to share the ancient longing and preparation for the coming of the Messiah, and an opportunity to be alert in life as a preparation for Jesus' second coming. The vision of life that Advent thus provides us is two folds: first, it looks back to the first coming of Christ, the feast of Christmas and second, it looks towards future to the second coming of Christ. That is, Advent provides us, first, a season to prepare for the celebration of Christ's birth at Christmas, and second, to prepare for His Second Coming at the end of time. The invitation of the season to be watchful implies our preparation to receive Jesus' daily coming into our lives through the events and people, and especially through the Sacraments and the Word of God.

The observance of the season of Advent, which began from the 4th century onward, was marked by a period of fasting like that of Lent, a time of spiritual preparation for a great event. Though the fasting practice is being relaxed, still the tradition of Advent as a season of penitence is being kept in the Church. It is in this spirit, the Church forbids needless feasting and celebration unless it is strictly liturgical. It is to be noted, that the Eastern Orthodox and Oriental Orthodox Churches still maintain the tradition of fasting for 40 days until the Nativity Feast.

Unfortunately, many Christians succumb to worldly trappings and fall into a mixed world view; professing a belief in Jesus, but living secular lifestyles. By "Secular", we mean "denoting attitudes, activities, or other things that have no religious or spiritual basis and content." Secularization of Christian feasts and emptying its spiritual contents is catching up very subtly in our society too. A typical example is the celebration of Advent today. Advent is a time to prepare the way for the Lord's coming; a time of repentance from pride, self-centeredness, unforgiveness, evil and crookedness (ref. Lk 3:4-6).

However, divested of this religious content, some people are celebrating it like Christmas during this season of repentance. They falsely coin new names to Advent as Advance Christmas or advent Christmas, so celebration time. This is not the spirit and nature of practice of the Advent Season as began by early Christians. It is not a time of celebration. Rather it is a time of preparation to welcome the Savior of the World-a time of preparation at individual, family and community level. "Watch" (Mk 13:37) is the key word during the season of Advent.

Preparation for Jesus' Coming: Scriptural Basis

The word "to watch" means to give up a night's sleep, to avoid being taken unawares by the enemy (Ps 127:1f) or to wait upon the coming of an important event or a person (Is 40: 3-4). It is a metaphor, which means to be vigilant, to avoid inactivity and carelessness to reach a goal (Pro 8:34). For us Christians, it is a call to preparedness by keeping watchful and alert - as sons/daughters of the day.

a. Old Testament:

The Old Testament tells us how God through the prophets prepare the people to watch for the coming of the promised Messiah. During the season of Advent the reading most referred to is from Prophet Isaiah chapter 40. This passage was written at a time when the Jews were still in exile and in Babylon, longing for the liberation. Yahweh tells his people through the prophet: "Prepare in the wilderness a way for the Lord; Let every valley be filled in, every mountain and hill laid low." Obviously, the prophet was not speaking of a material road but of a spiritual road to be built in the hearts of the Jews, which at that time looked like a desert, as most of them had abandoned the law of Yahweh.

Obviously, the clarion call of the prophet was the coming of the Lord and freedom from exile. The preparations the prophet demanded of his people were: to make the road straight by leveling the mountains of their pride, and filling in the valleys by their observance of the law of justice, the law of Yahweh. Yahweh invited the Jews to a change of heart, to repent of their sins, to start getting ready to become once again his people, for he was coming with power to take them back to their home and to himself.

What is required of the people is that the people should open for him the way into their hearts, through repentance, he will do the rest. This prophecy took place some five hundred years before the coming of the Immanuel, "God with us" in Jesus Christ, the long awaited Messiah. Just before Jesus' birth, John the Baptizer announced the imminent coming of the Lord Jesus Christ, just as Isaiah announced to the people of his time - "Prepare the way for the Lord, Make his path straight" (Mk 1:3).

b. New Testament:

The prophecy of the coming of God to humankind came to its fulfillment in the birth of Jesus Christ on the first Christmas. Jesus, the awaited Messiah, inaugurated the Kingdom of God, the process of liberation by his actions, teachings, and his death and resurrection. And he entrusted the work to his disciples by sending them to go to the whole world, commanding them teach and do what he taught, empowering them with his power and sending the Holy Spirit upon them. He did not complete the job himself. He entrusted that job to his disciples, to us to continue.

Advent as mentioned above is also the season when we call to mind that Jesus will come again. He will judge each one of us, personally, on how well we contributed to the work that he left us to complete.

The parable 'about the man going abroad leaving his house to his servants and commanding the door keeper to be on the watch' (Mk 13: 33f; Mt 3:3) speaks to us about this truth that Jesus entrusts us to continue and fulfill the job he initiated. Jesus has done and continue to do his part to ensure our salvation; now it is our turn to do ours, thus enabling him to complete it. He has laid the foundation to build on, given us the roadmap, the material and tools to use to complete his work of establishing his kingdom.

You and I are living in the interval between the bright light of Jesus first coming and the thunder of his second coming. Our job as we wait for Jesus' return is not to stand idly by looking up to heaven (ref. Acts 1:10-11). Rather, our job is to be up and doing his job in this sinful/dark world. In carrying out our task, Jesus warns us to be watchful, since the devil is at all times trying to convince us that there is no 'sin, that you are the master, the only most important person and that there is yet ample time left in life to prepare for Jesus' coming.

Against these backdrop, we are to counter with our sleeves rolled up, engaging tirelessly in building up the Kingdom, using the cement of love and forgiveness, the brick blocks of humility and patience, the measuring rod of justice and mercy and invigorating drink of constant prayer. According to St. Paul, this is what it means to be vigilant, living as a "child of Light": "We are not part of the darkness or of night. So let us not sleep as other men, but let us rather watch and be sober" (1Thes5:5f).

Advent therefore, is a special grace moment reminding us, that Jesus will come again in glory to judge us on what we have done, and what we have failed to do in his absence. It's a time we examine ourselves with these questions, if we have fed the hungry, clothed the naked, welcomed strangers in our midst, forgave those who offended us, worked for peace and reconciliation, and loved others (enemy included) as Jesus loved us (ref. Mt. 25:31f).

Conclusion:

The season of Advent prepares us both for the feast day Christmas, the birth of Jesus, our Savior as well as the final coming of Jesus, the King of the Universe. The message of watchfulness announced by the prophets and John the Baptizer for the coming of God is still relevant for us today. If Christmas is to be celebrated in real and full sense, birth of God in our world and in our hearts, we have to shed the pride and injustice in us, for they are real enemies preventing God from coming and saving us.

In the same way, we are to keep vigilant combating the sins of pride and injustice throughout our life, so that we are ready and awake when Lord comes for the final time. Christian watchfulness must be exercised from day to day in the struggle against the evil one: especially pride and injustice.

Let me take this opportunity to wish you all "A spiritually fruitful journey during this season of Advent"! And may the Child Jesus, the Son of God, come in to your heart and your home on Christmas Day, and may He accompany you in your journey through out the New Year, 2015!