Reflection: Advent, a time of renewal and hope
This Sunday, December 3rd, the Church begins a new season: it is the Season of Advent, a time of preparation for the approaching Christmas.
Dear Sisters and Brothers in Christ, I hereby come to share the word of God with you, especially on the first Sunday of Advent in the liturgical year (C) in the Gospel of St. Luke (Lk 21:25-28, 34-36).
We are at the beginning of Advent: the first thing we can do is to examine our conscience, to see if we will not need to confess: if we still need to, we can confess before Christmas.
The first part of the gospel announces the coming of Jesus. It is the coming of judgment, and those who are ready to be judged will see Jesus sitting on the throne to judge. I see that there are soft words in the consoling voice of Jesus.
The Gospel gives us some guidelines to follow in practice and live the Advent season well as we know that the first coming of Jesus was lived hidden in Bethlehem. And the second part of the gospel it’s very simple, Jesus talks about the preparation of His second coming. “Take heed that your hearts do not become desensitized because of the cares of life.”
Advent, in Latin “Adventus”, means “coming”. What, then, does the coming of the Lord consist of? Does this coming also involve and hold us accountable?
To walk in the Season of Advent is to look at the birth of Jesus, to prepare for Christmas with hope.
Jesus said in the gospel “be attentive and pray at all times”, because many times we are attentive to our cell phone
s and not in prayer, we are unnoticed and forget God at all times. The Advent season is simply based on this. In this time of Advent we can put away our cell phones a little, because if we don’t keep the day when the Lord comes, we won’t notice, Jesus visits us and we don’t see, God calls us and we don’t hear. We can choose a book that will help us in the Advent season, and read in spiritual reading.
The season of Advent is a time of vigilance and prayer, a time to perceive and experience the presence of God and his constant visit to our lives. This time of Advent invites us to keep our eyes and hearts very attentive, vigilant, attentive to the discovery of God’s presence in our lives, in the church, in society, in the family, at work, at school, in pain, and in joy. He is not an absent and disinterested God from our lives, but rather a Father who watches over us with love and affection.
Time of vigilance and prayer
For me I think that the most authentic and fruitful way to live in this season of Advent is to turn our gaze on Mary Most Holy, the Virgin of childbirth, and she will be the way to the child God. When God knocked on the door of his young life, she received him with faith and love. Now it is God who knocks at the door of our heart, let us not be afraid and let God penetrate and enrich our lives with the gifts of his love.
On Advent, the Pope asked the following questions: “How is the Lord coming? How can we recognize and welcome him?” According to Francis, “we often hear that the Lord is present on our journey, that he accompanies us and speaks to us.”
For this reason, Sisters and Brothers in Christ, we are attentive to the signs that the Lord will give us.
Flávia Arlindo Bernardo
Zambia Lusaka
