Catholic Corner
December 2, 2021
These first three weeks of Advent are “eschatological.” That is, they look forward to the second coming of Christ and the fullness of the reign of God. We hear this theme reflected in the readings and prayers. John the Baptist goes through the land quoting Isaiah and telling the people to” prepare the way of the Lord, that every valley shall be filled and every mountain and hill shall be made low . . . and all flesh shall see the salvation of God.” The call of John is a call for us to prepare, it is a call to action, a call of expectation.
The first three weeks of Advent are all about anticipation of the fulfilment of the reign of God, a reign that has already begun with the public ministry of Jesus. In other words, Jesus proclaimed the reign of God here and now, as a present reality that challenged the expectations of his time. The fulfilment of that reign is something that the Spirit-filled baptized People of God are called to work toward. As Paul reminds us this weekend, we are called to live the Gospel and by so doing prepare or advent the reality of the reign of God. From our dying and rising in baptism, to our gathering around the Table of the Lord, we step forward into the world as living meeting points between the “now” and the reign of God.
The Season of Advent invites us to consider the many ways that God is with us (Emmanuel) and recognizing that presence, this Season helps us reflect on how we may prepare the way of the Lord. From font to table and in our daily lives how is Christ present? In prayer? In reconciliation? In a season of noise, we can look for the quiet. In a season of excess we can seek the stillness. In the quiet and the stillness, we can listen for God’s voice.
