Dear Parishioners and friends,
This season of Advent is a special time for us to tap into our deep spiritual longing. St Augustine famously said that although we desire many things, our greatest longing is for God. The liturgies during Advent help us to become aware of this deep longing, whilst also reminding us that our longing for God is a mere reflection of God’s longing for us. Time and time again, the scriptures reveal a God who is constantly coming, in love, towards us! (The word advent means “coming”).
Incredible, right? The creator of the universe longs for you...yes, despite your weakness and failures! Perhaps during Advent, you can spend some time pondering this truth.
During Advent, we actually anticipate two comings of Christ.
Firstly we look forward to the second coming of Christ, the promised time when the victory of Jesus on the cross will be fully manifest, and the whole universe will be finally overcome by love. Then there will be a “new heaven and a new earth” (Rev 21:1). And what a sight it will be!
The other “coming” we anticipate during Advent is the coming of Christ in the humanity of Jesus. Our Mass readings over these weeks take us back to the experience of God’s people in the Old Testament, who were longing for a king to save them from the ongoing threat of foreign powers. God heard their cry and promised to provide them a king who would deliver them, and rule over his people for ever and ever. This is the same king prophesied by the prophet Isaiah:
"For to us a child is born,
to us a son is given,
and the government will be on his shoulders.
And he will be called
Wonderful Counsellor, Mighty God,
Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
Of the greatness of his government and peace
there will be no end.
He will reign on David’s throne
and over his kingdom,
establishing and upholding it
with justice and righteousness
from that time on and forever." (Isaiah 9:6-7)
God's people saw the rise and fall of many kings. Some were better than others, but all of them ultimately failed to deliver on God's promise. But then came Jesus. Through his ministry and teaching it becomes clear that Jesus is the one that God's promises were pointing to. It is Jesus that carries the spirit of God, who heals and restores, and brings about perfect justice. Jesus is the faithful king who offers a peace that has no end. He is the "ruler of the kings of the earth" and the "king of kings and the Lord of Lords", as we hear in the book of Revelation.
During advent we are invited to submit ourselves to the authority of this King. Jesus is the love and power of God that our hearts are longing for, the one who truly delivers us. Our task during Advent is to become conscious of this longing, invite his presence, and patiently wait for his coming into our hearts, and into all the circumstances that we give him permission to enter.
During Advent the church also encourages us to take up some spiritual disciplines (like with Lent) as a way of carving out space for this coming of Christ. There are many things we can do, but my strong encouragement is to make a conscious effort to simplify your schedule so you can invest more time with God. Our lives are generally so manic, and often for "good" reasons. But nothing is as good for us (and for our loved ones) as investing time with God.
Do you think you can manoeuvre things around so you have at least fifteen minutes of undisturbed time with God each day? Or perhaps you could be really radical and aim for thirty minutes, or even an hour?! Of course, this will be easier for some. Parents with young children might find this especially difficult, but I encourage you to have go! See what you can manage. Spend some time each day reflecting on your longing for God and God’s longing for you. Open your heart to the Christ who has come, and is coming, and will come again. Invite his saving presence into the areas of your life where you need him most. You might also use the scripture texts we are providing in the bulletin inserts during Advent.
We look forward to sharing in this special time of year with you!
In faith, hope and love,
Fr Dan
