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Awaiting the light of Jesus
We celebrate our vocation as Advent people

Published December 1, 2006

Marylynn G. Hewitt | The Michigan Catholic A woman lights a candle at the entryway to the grotto where Jesus was born at the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem in early November.

My Brothers and Sisters in the Lord:

Throughout the calendar year 2006, I have been reflecting with you on ways to develop "a culture of vocation" within the archdiocese. As I was preparing my December column, it dawned on me that I usually offer some reflection for the season of Advent and the beginning of the new Church year, which this year happens the weekend of Dec. 2-3. Putting these two thoughts together, therefore, I thought I would write about "our vocation as Advent people."

The Scripture readings for the first part of Advent challenge us to consider how well we are psychologically and spiritually prepared for the Lord's return in glory at the end of time. Beginning with Dec. 17, the focus of Advent changes and we recall the people and events that had to do with Christ's first coming among us. On the one hand, there is a certain tension between the two perspectives, but taken together, they both challenge us to be people well-disposed and attentive, eager and expectant, joyful and hopeful for the return of the Lord. By remembering His first coming, we are to be all the more zealous and eager for His second coming.

Advent: A way of living

We can, therefore, speak of a certain "Advent spirituality" that should characterize the Christian not only during the weeks leading up to Christmas but throughout every day of our lives. In a sense, Advent is not just one season on the Church calendar, but it is a way of thinking and living. An "Advent person" lives with full awareness and concern for the gifts and needs, challenges and opportunities, of family living and faces head-on all the realities of our society today. Yet at the same time, within the heart of an Advent Christian, there is always a certain sense of detachment and a serene perspective. The Advent Christian always looks to the larger horizon of God's infinite love and mercy.

The color of Advent

The color of Advent is purple and yet it is not the reddish purple of Lent, a color that conjures thoughts of royalty and suffering. Instead, it is the dark bluish purple we see in the sky as we wait for the dawn. Everything about Advent spirituality proclaims expectation and hopefulness. Precisely at the darkest time of the year, we wait with eager longing for the new light of Jesus Christ, the true light of the world. Advent Christians, therefore, live with certain weariness about the false lights of this world which can easily overshadow and block out the gentle signs of God's presence within us and among us.

A way of silence, waiting for dawn

Advent spirituality requires minds and hearts comfortable with silence instead of many words or much noise; we wait for the Word which can only be heard in silence. We choose the way of darkness and patiently wait for the dawn that comes in God's good time, a mysterious gift that cannot be obtained simply by the flick of a switch. While the culture around us encourages us to fill our emptiness, the Advent Christian lives in a certain state of emptiness so as to be ready to receive whatever the Lord might want to say, do, or give. In short, Advent Christians seek to kindle and purify their desire by waiting patiently for the gifts of God.

A time of reflection and recollection

Such thoughts are very challenging in our culture, particularly in the month of December when everyone is hectically running around — shopping and writing Christmas cards, attending parties and concerts. On the one hand, we should celebrate the joy of our Christian faith and show our love and affection for others. But on the other hand, we also need to find time and space for quiet, prayerful reflection, and especially, the celebration of the sacrament of penance.

One of the best ways to spiritually prepare for Christmas is by examining our mind and heart, considering whether we have used well the many gifts and opportunities God has provided us throughout the whole year. In preparing for the sacrament, it is every way appropriate to prayerfully consider whether we have truly been generous with others, particularly the poor and people with special needs.

A time for thinking of others

One of the great tragedies and ironies of the Advent season is that precisely at the time of the year when we should be most sensitive to the homebound and the hospitalized, the elderly and chronically infirmed, they are often the most forgotten. Our faith in the mystery of the Incarnation challenges us each day to open our minds and hearts to look for the Lord in the people and places where there is the greatest vulnerability and dependence.

The vocation of waiting

Developing an "Advent spirituality" is truly part of the vocation of being a Christian. A major part of this spiritual vocation is a greater appreciation of the gift of waiting. Do you remember the eager anticipation you had as a child during the Advent season — marking off the days and hours until Santa Claus arrived? Most of us developed a lot of patience during those exciting weeks of Advent; we learned to trust that there would be great gifts for us in due time. And as we have matured in life, we have come to understand and appreciate the value of waiting. We wait nine long months to enter this world. In many cases, we wait for weeks and months by the side of a loved one as he or she prepares to meet the Lord. We wait in traffic and lines in the grocery store. We wait for the completion of engagement and the celebration of Christian marriage. Anything significant in life involves a certain amount of waiting, even something as simple as waiting for the return of a phone call or a visit from a friend. Certainly, waiting is very much a part of praying.

The act of waiting challenges us to recognize we are not in complete control of our lives. As we watch and wait, our minds and hearts are purified and simplified. If we were focusing too intently on something, we begin to "let go" and recognize the fact that we can live quite well without having this particular item in our wardrobe or in our possession. The act of waiting helps us put things in perspective and reminds us that many people have very little control at all over their lives. As we watch and wait, we become sympathetic to the countless people who seem to have very little for which to hope, very few dreams or even expectations. A spirituality of Advent waiting truly helps us appreciate what we are and what we have and how we are connected to one another and to the Lord — for every breath, for every word, for every ray of light.

Creating a sacred space

Throughout this year of 2006, we have reflected on developing a "culture of vocation" within the archdiocese. All vocations entail some form of Advent expectation or waiting, creating a sacred place or space for the Lord and respecting the sacredness and dignity of the Lord's presence in the hearts of others. Ultimately, no matter what our state of life, we are all people who wait. We wait for the Lord and we wait for one another. And happily, we wait together.

As the Church of Detroit, for 173 years, people of faith have watched and waited with hope and confidence in Christ's second coming and our sharing in the gift of life eternal in the Kingdom. Like them and with them, we carry seeds of hope in our minds and hearts. No one of us knows what the future holds in a very explicit way but we do know that God is calling all of us to Himself and that we are to use our time in this world to be purified and renewed, ready to greet Him. In short, our vocation as Christians is to be an Advent people of hope, fully committed to improving and strengthening human life in this world but always looking to the horizon of life eternal, our ultimate destiny and goal.

A culture of vocation

As I close out this year-long series on developing a "culture of vocation" within the archdiocese, again, I want to affirm the dignity of every particular vocation within the Church, with special words of encouragement for anyone who might be thinking about the call to priestly life, the diaconate, or religious life. There is a beautiful complementarity of all the different vocations within the Christian family: faithful married couples raising a family are a wonderful encouragement for priests and religious as they pursue the challenges of celibacy and consecrated chastity. Those of us in the priesthood and religious life witness to other Christians that everything of this world is incomplete and that our desires will truly be fulfilled only in the Lord's presence in the communion of saints. May we all keep in mind and heart our desire for the Lord's second coming and may we live according to that desire, thus making each day a holy Advent, and thus building up a "culture of vocation" within our local Church of Detroit.

May this new year of grace truly be a time of growth and spiritual enrichment for us all! Sincerely in the Lord,

Sincerely in the Lord,
†Adam Cardinal Maida