Advent- Waiting in Hope

ADVENT – A Time of Hopeful Waiting

Advent, from the Latin word Adventus, which signifies a coming, is a significant and special season in the Christian Calendar. It also marks the beginning of the Christian year. Now it may seem strange and perhaps paradoxical, that the year should begin in a time of darkness, in a time when, in the Northern Hemisphere, the days are shortening and the nights are lengthening. However, this is a time of preparation for the birth of a Saviour, for the birth of Jesus the Christ who brings light into a broken world.

For Christians Advent is the spiritual season of hope. It is a time when every  Christian is called to reflect on their life  and how they might become hope both for themselves and the world. The Christian experience and message of the Mystery, we call God, is one of a “God who comes” (Adventus) and, moreover,  a God who calls us to go to meet him. This is a God, who in Jesus, responds to the Psalmist’s cry ‘I have called to you, Lord, hasten to help me. Hear my voice when I cry to you’. (Ps. 141:1).

Now traditionally, Christian’s begin each New  Christian Year  at the Season of Advent. It begins with the story of John the Baptist, a story of one ‘crying out from the wildernesses.

In those days John the Baptist came, preaching in the Desert of Judea and saying, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is near.” This is he who was spoken of through the prophet Isaiah:

“A voice of one calling in the desert, ‘Prepare the way for the Lord, make straight paths for him.’” Matthew 3: 1-5

This was a voice that expressed the truth about the prevailing situation, a truth that was unpalatable for many and particularly for those in authority. Yet, rather than be a voice foretelling of impending doom, John’s voice also pointed to the Light ( Jesus) who was coming into our Broken World and a Light which would bring healing and salvation.

Now many in our current times may fail to see the significance of Advent or the story of John the Baptist – the voice crying out in the wilderness. Perhaps it could help to first get in touch with the term – ‘the wilderness’ and second to place the Christian Story in the context of  our present times and situation.

The term wilderness indicates a place of desolation, a place where little grows and where life exists on the edge. It denotes a barren and inhospitable place.  Now , our world has many ‘wildernesses’ and these are not necessarily confined to places such as deserts and the tundra. In our world we have many economic and social ‘wildernesses’. We have places of desolation such as :

v     The desolation of millions of children malnourished and lacking clean water. 

v     The desolation of women, denied their dignity and subject to the control and oppression of systems, culture and patriarchal domination .

v     The desolation of financial chaos, unemployment , financial instability and inequality.

v     The desolation caused by the abuse of power, whether it be financial, aggression or that of  sexual, physical and emotional abuse.

v     The desolation caused by our growing estrangement from our environment, our planet and ultimately our true and real selves.

Yes, we live in a world with many desolations, a world that is increasingly becoming a wilderness for so many of us .

Yet, it is into this world that God, the Mystery at the Heart of Creation, enters. The Christian story of the Advent of Jesus the Christ, offers a light of hope that streams onto these many desolations. It brings hope to those in darkness. For me and many others, the real message and meaning of Advent is to provide us with the opportunity to reflect on our lives and our world and to prepare to renew ourselves and to live life more in tune with our environment, each other and ourselves.