Preparing the Way in Advent... to Eternity?

Only being one of many different times within the liturgical year, November is a very privileged time for us, when we are given the task to be deliberate in contemplating the fact that, one day, we will pass from this life into the next. There is a coming hour when we will cease to be a part of the Church militant- and this will be a time to pass on from earthly existence into the existence beyond. At this time, unknown to us, we will die, go through our own particular judgement, be a part of the general judgement, and will ultimately reside in the place that we have chosen throughout our earthly lives; please God, that place will be heaven (and possibly a layover in purgatory as well). As we all know, the liturgical calendar resets after this time of pondering our own mortality when we come to the first week of Advent. However, it isn’t a hard reset like we would be tempted to think… in fact, Advent isn’t simply about the beginning of a new liturgical year- it is a continuation of the same theme of November- a theme of preparation for a coming time.

In the season of Advent, we are not looking only at a particular event that happened a couple thousand years ago. We would miss out on much of what happens in our rich liturgical life if we only thought that. In fact, we have an “Advent” of sorts every time we go to Mass and receive our Lord- we prepare ourselves to receive Him time and time again in the Eucharist. He comes and dwells with us physically- in the same way He did about two-thousand years ago. However, we cannot simply focus on the past and present when we think about Christ coming, and that He continues to come to us: we are also looking forward to the time when Christ will come again, whether that be in our own death, or whether that be at the end of time, whenever that might be. Regardless, in either case, we would miss out on a large part of the Advent season if we thought that Advent is only addressing the past; it is preparing us for the future as well! Christ will again come in the way that He ordains suitable for each of us- the question is, are we ready?

The beauty of the Christmas season doesn’t simply reside in the sights, sounds, smells, or even tastes of the season. It doesn’t reside in the fact that families come together, and everyone has a particularly focused effort on being joyful and cheery. The beauty of Christmas resides in rejoicing at the Lord’s coming to redeem His “weary world.” That happened then, and it will happen again- it is only a matter of time. We, as members of the “weary world” need to be pondering this reality and preparing ourselves. In some way, Advent becomes a great time of preparation for us for that coming, one that is slightly different than Lent in its theme, but it is very similar. While Lent certainly carries a theme of repentance and reparation- our vigilance towards the future demands that we continue this in some way as well- but with eyes towards the time when we will meet our Lord face to face? Will that be a joy-filled encounter for us, or are we not quite ready? If our homes manifested the interior of our souls, would they be disheveled, with lots of chaos and things in the way, or would they be in good order, ready to receive our guests? Would it be ready to receive our Lord?

Let’s not let another Advent go by as simply a stepping stone to get to the joy of Christmas; while we certainly should participate in that joy when it does come, we shouldn’t neglect the duty of Advent either. Take the opportunity to take inventory, to clean house, and to prepare, so as to give Christ room within our souls. One day, Christ will come- and He will come whether or not we have made use of the time we are given. Will he find us ready and waiting for Him? Will he find us rejoicing in the same way as the shepherds and angels? Let’s take advantage of this time of privilege this year and use the Advent season to continue working on our hearts as that place where Christ can come and dwell within- both now, and for eternity.