The word “Advent” comes from the Latin word “adventus”, which means “coming” or “arrival.” As a season of the church year, Advent is the four weeks before Christmas that prepares us to celebrate the Nativity, the birth of Christ, on December 25th. Christmas is a big mystery. We do not understand how exactly God comes to be among us in human form. Taking time to prepare to celebrate Christmas allows us to enter more fully into the mystery.

THREE TEACHINGS OF ADVENT SEASON
1. Preparation
Advent is a season of preparation. We are preparing to remember and to celebrate the birth of Jesus. During this time, we remember the prophets that foretold Jesus’ birth (Isaiah 7:14, Isaiah 9:6-7, Jeremiah 23:5-6) and the nine-month journey of Mary and Joseph before the birth of Jesus (Luke 1-2, Matthew 1). We prepare ourselves for the birth of Jesus Christ by lighting the four candles on each Sunday. Each candle has its own significance and message for us.
The first candle, which is purple, symbolizes Hope (Prophecy Candle). The second candle, also purple, represents Faith (Bethlehem Candle). The third candle is pink and symbolizes Joy (Shepherd’s Candle). On the fourth week of Advent, we light the final purple candle, the “Angel’s Candle,” which symbolizes peace.

2. Incarnation
During Advent, the core of what we are waiting for, anticipating, is the Incarnation, God becoming human. As Christians, we believe that God loves us, and all of creation, so much that God became embodied in the form of Jesus. The Incarnation is an incredible mystery—we do not know exactly how God became human. God’s action in taking on flesh sanctifies our flesh – it makes the skin we wear holy. Advent provides us an opportunity to explore what the Incarnation means for our lives.

3. Eschatological Coming
Each Advent, in every church we sing the hymns related to advent, like “O Come, O Come Emmanuel”, etc. Immanuel is one of the names for Jesus found in scripture (Isaiah 7:14), it means “God with us.” Jesus already took human flesh and is with the Father in Heaven and we are waiting for His second coming, and that is being marked as the end of times.

To conclude, Advent Season is all about reflecting on how we can prepare our hearts and homes for Christ’s birth in the world as it is today. It is a time for faith communities and families to remember, through prayer, reflections, special music, and good deeds what the true meaning of Jesus’ birth is.

-Fr. Leslie Gomes
Asst. Parish Priest