The word Advent means something of importance is about to appear or arrive—a day, an event, or person.
After the final Sunday in the Liturgical year, the Feast of Christ the King of the Universe near the end of November, we begin the new Liturgical year with Advent. It is the period of the four Sundays before Christmas day.
In fact, we can know when the last Sunday of the Liturgical year is going to be celebrated by counting back five Sundays before December 25, Christmas day.
In the Christian faith, the season of Advent is the period of anticipation and preparation for Christ’s coming—his first and his second coming.
Whenever a special event is coming up, we make sure to prepare for it—whether it be for graduation tests, your wedding, or having dinner guests over for supper.
During Advent, we prepare for the celebration of Jesus’ first coming as a human baby in a manger in the little town of Bethlehem, just a few miles outside of Jerusalem.
Since it is a period of preparation, we reflect on many of the First (Old) Testament’s Messianic prophecies. Most of the first readings of the Masses during this period come from Isaiah, with a few from the books of Jeremiah and Genesis.
God didn’t just happen to send his son to us on a whim. It had been part of his plan ever since the fall of mankind in the Garden of Eden.
We also prepare for Christ’s Second Coming—when all the faithful will share in the Lamb’s Heavenly Banquet.
We do not know when this time will come; Jesus says only the Father knows. But we need to be prepared.
We might not live long enough to experience the Second Coming of Christ on earth, but we still need to be prepared! For the Second Coming of Christ will be, for many of us, the day that we die! After we die, opportunities for preparation are gone.
So, prepare ye the way of the Lord!
