Veni, Veni Emmanuel!
Captivum solve Israel!
"O come o come Emmanuel!
And ransom captive Israel!"
Despite being the first day of the new liturgical year, advent begins without fanfare on the first of the four Sundays before December 24th. It ends with the joyful commemoration of Jesus’ flesh and blood arrival into this world. .
Advent ends celebrating that Jesus, fully God and fully man, was born into and lived on the same planet, on which we live and breathe, study and work, celebrate and mourn.
The word Advent derives from two Latin roots ad and venire which mean “to come to.” But the literal translation of the roots does not convey the full meaning of Advent. In his book Benedictus, Pope Benedict XVI explained that advent is the Latin translation of the Greek word parousia which means presence, but even more specifically means arrival.
Arrival is the beginning of another’s presence, it is not the fullness of that presence.
Consider a child. The moment a mother’s pregnancy is known the world changes never to return to what it was before even if the child is the victim of an abortion any time during term, even if the child is stillborn. The presence of that child in the world changes it for many.
A child’s presence is apparent with the first awareness that a woman is pregnant. Throughout pregnancy the child is present in the lives of his or her
parents, grandparents, and others. That presence ripples out as the date of birth nears. The child’s birth makes his or her presence known to the wider world, a presence that will ripple outward for the rest of his or her life. But, that presence is never complete, it is always in the process of becoming and evolving.
Even after death the presence of another does not end. Everyone in the world is being influenced by the presence of others who are distant or dead.
Parents. Siblings. Teachers. Mentors. Friends. And others. Their presence influences how we live our lives. Even when present only in memory they influence what we decide and how we act. Their presence in our lives—be it tangible or remembered—may soothe and comfort us during times of stress.
And sometimes that presence may be the source of continuing anxiety and pain. No matter if it is comforting or painful, it is impossible NOT to respond to another’s presence. Even “ignoring” that presence is responding to it.
Jesus’ presence is an advent presence. It is a presence that is always a “coming to,” a presence of "coming toward." It is always dynamic.
During advent we recall that Jesus is present in this world and is always becoming newly present to this world, He is present in our lives but also becoming newly present in our lives as much as we allow that presence.
Jesus presence is always a becoming, Advent recalls the beginning of His presence. but we have yet to experience the fullness of that presence.
We will only know the fullness of Jesus' presence when death takes us from life to eternal life.
Jesus is present in our daily lives in three tangible ways. We only have to look, listen, and taste, to experience that three-fold presence.
He is present in the community of believers who participate in the prayers of the Church,most particularly in the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass.
Jesus is present in the words of the Gospel proclaimed in the assembly of believers or meditated upon in the silence of one’s room.
And, Jesus is present most tangibly, truly, and substantially in the Eucharist,
the bread and wine, that will soon be consecrated, broken, and shared.
Advent is not a countdown of shopping days until December 24. Advent is not the time to prepare for a holiday. Advent is the time to prepare for a Holy Day.
It is a time to prepare to commemorate the birth of the Messiah. The Christ, The Anointed One. We are scanning the horizon for the star that announces the coming into the world of the Son of God, Son of David, and Son of Mary.
We are awaiting the King of Kings and the Prince of Peace, He who is like us in all things but sin.
As we begin Advent we recall that Jesus came toward and into this world
to save it and to ransom us from sin and death. Thus we pray. . . .
Veni, Veni Emmanuel!
Captivum solve Israel!
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Continuing to revisit and reprocess photos. Several years ago I was stranded for three days by a 17-inch snowfall at 2600 feet in the Green Mountains. One of the great graces of that particular yera. It was soft and there was no wind. It descended and remained in place. I had a 4-wheel drive vehicle while there. No difficulty getting around.
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