Keeping the Advent Season Holy

Advent is a season of Hope – certainly a virtue that may be illusive in a world torn by strife and in a society which seems to commercialize everything. Yet, Hope is the key to keeping the season holy. We anticipate two important events in these sacred days. We look forward to commemorating the first coming of Christ, the Prince of Peace, on Christmas as we also look forward to His second coming at the end of time.

We remain hopeful that the Reign of God which was initiated at the Incarnation will be fully realized in the hearts of all people as they come to recognize Christ as the Way, the Truth, and the Life. We hope and long for the day when one nation will not raise a sword against another; when all people and nations will work to protect from our Common Home; when each person will be valued as an image of God. Only when there is completion and fulfillment of the first coming of Christ and the Reign of God then His second coming will be made manifest. All of this reminds us that we are not passive observers of the Reign of God; rather, we must be active participants in the work of redemption.

Hope is not an excuse for inaction. Rather, Hope must be the impetus for living a virtuous life on a day-to-day basis. Advent then, is a time of reflection through prayer and a time for personal conversion through acts of penance. Keeping Advent Holy may be a daily struggle over the next few weeks; but it is a struggle worth having if our prayers and sacrifices heighten our Hope in Christ.

Our Advent Hope is an antidote to the constant messaging of bitterness and coldness infecting our times. Hope, supported by prayer and fasting, can keep us from being consumed by the empty commercialization of Christmas and reawaken in us the wonder and awe of the true gift of the Word made Flesh who dwelt among us.

So, make a simple plan for these Advent days. Maybe sacrifice 15 - 20 minutes of social media time to pray a daily rosary or make a weekly visit to a friend or relative in a nursing home. The possibilities are only limited by our lack of reflection on the need to lead a more Christlike life. Let the flame of Hope burn bright within us. Keep it burning brightly through daily prayer and penance.