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Advent

What Are the O Antiphons?

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On the First Sunday of Advent, Christians everywhere make a collective and noticeable turn toward Christmas, toward the coming birth of Jesus. Throughout the next four weeks our day-to-day routines…

On the First Sunday of Advent, Christians everywhere make a collective and noticeable turn toward Christmas, toward the coming birth of Jesus.

Throughout the next four weeks our day-to-day routines give way to divine preparation and joyful anticipation; the world is bathed in lights, complete strangers exchange “Merry Christmas” and mankind eagerly awaits the Christ Child.

The ageless Gospels that are read during Mass reflect on John the Baptist, the Annunciation, the Visitation, the Nativity. The clergy don purple vestments, the giving tree suddenly appears, and we are inspired by the seasonal hymns reminding us that a great event is about to happen. Past the halfway point of Advent the beautiful O Antiphons are introduced into the daily prayer life of the Church. These mostly ancient and thought-provoking verses fit the season perfectly, but why are they called O Antiphons?

What Is an Antiphon?

To say there are a variety of definitions regarding antiphons would be an understatement. One that mostly fits how they are used today was written over 170 years ago by Blessed John Henry Newman in his book “Tracts for the Times, Vol. III” (J.G.F. & J. Rivington, London, & J.H. Parker, Oxford, 1840, pp. 22-23): “The Antiphons or Anthems are sentences preceding and succeeding the Separate Psalms and Songs, and are ordinarily verses taken from the particular compositions to which they are attached. They seem to answer the purpose of calling attention to what is coming, of interpreting it, or of pointing out the particular part of it which is intended to bear on Service of the day…. They are repeated at the end, as if to fix the impression or the lesson intended.”

Cardinal Newman continues, “Antiphons are not, strictly speaking, Prayers, but sentences applied to the particular purpose of meditation, thanksgiving & …” So an antiphon is a verse that gives emphasis to what follows, such as a prayer, psalm, Scripture or canticle. Canticles, a sacred song or chant, are part of the daily prayers of the Church and often preceded by an antiphon.

The “Chief Hours”

Besides Sunday worship, Christians have long prayed at set times every day. In the tradition of the Jewish synagogue, the apostles and first Christians praised God at least three times daily. To the extent they could avoid the Roman persecutions, they would pray together. Prior to the Second Vatican Council, such daily prayers were called the Divine Office, but following the council these prayer periods became known as the Liturgy of the Hours. The council’s Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy (Sancrosanctum Concilium) encourages the laity to “recite the divine office [Liturgy of the Hours], either with the priests, or among themselves, or even individually” (No. 100). The “chief hours” of the day, according to this same council document are morning prayer (lauds) and evening prayer (vespers) (see No. 89).

While the laity are encouraged to participate either individually or collectively, congregating to pray the hours together is today mostly found, and obligatory, in religious communities. The content of these prayer times include hymns, canticles, antiphons, psalms and Scripture readings. At evening prayer, the Canticle of Mary, the Magnificat (see Luke 1:46-55), is recited. Before and after the canticle, a short verse, a solemn antiphon, is read from Scripture or a psalm. This antiphon varies each day and ties the canticle to the season of the year, a feast and to a particular reading. In “The Liturgical Year, Advent” (Newman Press, Westminster Md., 1951, p. 509), Dom Prosper Gueranger writes, “These antiphons are sung at the Magnificat to show us that the Savior whom we expect is come to us by Mary.”

The Special Antiphons

Beginning Dec. 17 of each Advent season, and for the next seven days, a special antiphon known as an O Antiphon is read before the Magnificat during evening prayer or before the gospel at Mass. Sometimes called the Greater Antiphons, or the O’s of Advent (because they begin with that exclamation), the O Antiphons differ from the daily antiphons because they herald the coming birth of Christ. Originally written in Latin around the seventh or eighth centuries, these special antiphons are verses extracted from the Old Testament prophets — namely, Isaiah — and express the longing for the coming of the Christ. In fact, the word “come” is used in every O Antiphon.

Each of the seven antiphons begins by addressing Jesus using an Old Testament title for the Messiah. These seven names or titles, all from the Book of Isaiah, are:

Dec. 17, O’ Sapientia (meaning O Wisdom), from Isaiah 11:2-3.

Dec. 18, O’ Adonai (O Lord or Ruler), 11:4-5 and 33:22.

Dec. 19, O’ Radix (O Root of Jesse), 11:1.

Dec. 20, O’ Clavis (O Key of David), 22:22.

Dec. 21, O’ Oriens (O Radiant Dawn), 9:1.

Dec. 22, O’ Rex Gentium (O King of the Nations), 2:4.

Dec. 23, O’ Emmanuel (O God with Us), 7:14.

It is widely pointed out that if you take the first letter of each Latin name and reverse the order — that is, begin with E from Emmanuel, then Rex Gentium and so on you will spell the word EROCRAS, which in Latin means “I shall come tomorrow.”

Many families add the Greater Antiphons to their prayers during Advent. These beautiful antiphons are like a drum roll growing to a crescendo as the seven days bring us closer to the Christmas miracle of God made flesh, born as a babe and, with few exceptions, mostly unnoticed by mankind. Each of the seven Greater Antiphons are also sung or recited as the Alleluia verse (or antiphon) before the Gospel at daily Mass Dec. 17-23.

Sometime before the 12th century, the exact date and author being unknown, selected verses from the seven antiphons were compiled into the hymn we today call “O Come, O Come, Emmanuel.” During the Middle Ages this hymn was an important teaching and worship aid to a society that was largely illiterate and had few Bibles. In the 19th century, the Latin version of the hymn was translated into English by an Anglican priest named John Neale. He called his original translation “Draw Neigh, Draw Neigh, Emmanuel,” but in 1854 he renamed the song, “O Come, O Come, Emmanuel,” which, given its history, is believed to be among the oldest of all the Christmas hymns.

D.D. Emmons writes from Mount Joy, Pa.

O Antiphons of Advent

The O Antiphons are recited prior to the Magnificat during evening prayer (vespers) from Dec. 17 through Dec. 23. Each antiphon is addressed to God using a noble title for the Messiah, each antiphon petitions Him to come save His people, and each is tied to Mary because she is the vessel through which the Savior will be born.

Dec. 17: “O Wisdom, O holy Word of God, you govern all creation with your strong yet tender care. Come and show your people the way to salvation.”

Dec. 18: “O sacred Lord of ancient Israel, who showed yourself to Moses in the burning bush, who gave him the holy law on Sinai mountain: come, stretch out your mighty hand to set us free.”

Dec. 19: “O Flower of Jesse’s stem, you have been raised up as a sign for all peoples; kings stand silent in your presence; the nations bow down in worship before you. Come, let nothing keep you from coming to our aid.”

Dec. 20: “O Key of David, O royal Power of Israel controlling at your will the gate of heaven: come, break down the prison walls of death for those who dwell in darkness and the shadow of death; and lead your captive people into freedom.”

Dec. 21: “O Radiant Dawn, splendor of eternal light, sun of justice: come, shine on those who dwell in darkness and the shadow of death.”

Dec. 22: “O King of all the nations, the only joy of every human heart; O Keystone of the mighty arch of man, come, and save the creature you fashioned from the dust.”

Dec. 23: “O Emmanuel, king and lawgiver, desire of the nations, Savior of all people, come and set us free, Lord our God.”

— From “Christian Prayer: The Liturgy of the Hours,” Catholic Book Publishing Co., 1976

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Advent

The Liturgical Love Words of Advent

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“Advent” does not mean “expectation” as some may think. It is a translation of the Greek word parousia, which means “presence” or, more accurately, “arrival” — that is, the beginning…

“Advent” does not mean “expectation” as some may think. It is a translation of the Greek word parousia, which means “presence” or, more accurately, “arrival” — that is, the beginning of a presence. In antiquity the word was a technical term for the presence of a king or ruler, and also of the god being worshipped, who bestows his parousia upon his devotees for a time. “Advent,” then, means a presence begun, the presence being that of God. — From “Dogma and Preaching,” by Pope Benedict XVI

Like many Catholics, I have been queried more than once by evangelical friends wondering why Catholics put so much stock in “ritualistic” things not explicitly spelled out in Scripture — things like Advent and its purple vestments; the candles marking the weeks; the O Antiphons, whose beautiful images so intensify our longing, even as they paradoxically deepen our sense of assured contentment.

“Jesus came once for all; He doesn’t keep coming,” one such friend reminded me. “Christmas is a great season, but why do you need a whole advance season, too? What’s the point?”

“But, surely, Jesus does keep coming to us, no matter where we are in our lives,” I answered. I reminded her of where she had been a year earlier, and the weighty concerns that had lain on her heart — and of the difficult but beautiful Advent my own family had endured a few years previous, at the bedside of a dying brother. “Christ is constant,” I said, “but we are not; our lives are not. We can get so caught up in things, in working, paying bills, making deadlines, tending to our families — and then, suddenly, we hear a prophet saying, ‘make straight a path in the wilderness,’ and it resets our priorities. It’s not just a story we’re meant to remember; it’s an action we are meant to undertake, so Christ can alight anew within us.”

Advent coaxes us out. We look up and there is a darker sky than before. The stars show more clearly, and they inspire us to hack through the things we have allowed to imprison us, so that we may walk a freer path and ponder what transpired in a lonely cave in Bethlehem, 2,000 years ago — what it meant then, and what it still means for all of us today.

Because it is monumental, this parousia is an encounter with Love as it had never before existed, and as it will never end.

And, yes, it has “already happened.” But if God is outside of time, and we know He is, then that momentous event “is happening” even as you read this. Right now, a star is shining brightly; a people are moving toward the places from whence they came; a young woman is great with child; wise men are lifting their eyes to heaven and wondering. The place of our own origin, from whence we came, beckons; it sends a flare as a guide! And the One who is All in All is moving toward us — in breathtaking humility — to show us the way back.

Like Mary, we are great with expectation, and wonder how can this be? Heaven reaching down in song and succor, to cradle the earth; Creator, come down among us, not to observe or direct, but to inhabit and serve. In his lowly, vulnerable birth, God comes as bridegroom, wedding himself to us — divinity to humanity — and shares with us that most intimate privilege of marriage, the joining of two into one, the mutual dependence, the mutual commitment — and nothing can ever be the same. But every marriage, even the best, needs constant attention, and recollection.

Call the repetitious seasons of Advent, then, year after year, a renewal of our wedding vows, complete with love words, as we make straight our paths, light our candles and beckon our beloved to us, again, with the sweet and beautiful pleadings of our Antiphons. You consent to come to us in all vulnerability; we consent to be vulnerable in return. This is forever.

Elizabeth Scalia is the award-winning author of Strange Gods, Unmasking the Idols in Everyday Life and Little Sins Mean a Lot: Kicking Our Bad Habits Before They Kick You.

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Advent

Why Do We Hear So Much about John the Baptist during Advent?

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The universal Church begins the new liturgical year with the arrival of the season of Advent — a season with two main themes: looking backward and looking forward. The word…

The universal Church begins the new liturgical year with the arrival of the season of Advent — a season with two main themes: looking backward and looking forward. The word “advent” itself means “to come” or “to arrive.” In Advent, we prepare for the Lord’s coming at the end of time, an appointed time we know not. We are admonished to be watchful and ready for that day (see, among other similar admonitions of the Lord, Mt 24: 42-44).

As a means to prepare for his Second Coming, we also look back to Christ’s coming among us the first time — born a babe in Bethlehem. In Advent, the Church recalls Christ’s identity as Redeemer and Savior as foretold by the prophets — chief among whom is St. John the Baptist. His role was to prepare the people for the first advent of the Messiah, especially through his preaching of repentance and conversion (see, for instance, Mt 3: 1-12). These are two primary themes of which we should be cognizant as we prepare to meet the Lord when he comes.

Michael R. Heinlein is editor of Simply Catholic. Follow him on Twitter @HeinleinMichael.

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Advent

The branches of Jesus’ family tree

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In recent decades, genealogy has found a wider audience through technological developments that enable one to trace his or her ancestry down through the centuries without leaving the comfort of…

In recent decades, genealogy has found a wider audience through technological developments that enable one to trace his or her ancestry down through the centuries without leaving the comfort of home. Beyond being a hobby for the historically intrigued, anyone engaged in family history research will tell you that they likely learned something about him- or herself in the process of researching the family tree. Human genetics are amazing, and many of our characteristics and traits are passed on to us by those from whom we descend.

Of course, throughout history, lineage has always been important, and it remains so in certain societies and cultures. From whom we descend or to whom we are related can greatly influence how we live our lives. Even from medieval times, family trees have been a significant aspect of familial culture.

The relationships in our family are often bonds that we have no choice about, but the reality is that as human beings we are immersed into relationships that define us. We are born as someone’s son or daughter, and perhaps brother or sister or niece or nephew.

The same is true in our own spiritual lives. As Catholics we are bound by a pattern of relationships with each other and those who have gone before us. This is the biblical image of the Body of Christ — under his headship we are all interrelated members of his body.

In the Middle Ages, when in many ways the importance of family lineage reached a widespread high point throughout the world’s societies, and much of the Western mind was defined by Christianity, the family tree of Jesus Christ became a frequent artistic foil. It remains today as a popular means for prayer and reflection, particularly in the season of Advent, during which the Church recalls the coming of Christ two millennia ago in Bethlehem and prepares for his coming again in glory.

Today many find it helpful to pray with the Jesse Tree, which takes its name from the father of King David in the Old Testament. The prophet Isaiah foretold that Israel’s long-awaited messiah would descend from this noble and all-important Jewish lineage.

The Messiah was promised to come from the line of David, according to the prophet Isaiah. The Latin text of the significant passage (Is 11: 1), uses the word “virga” for the “twig” or “shoot,” which will arise from Jesse’s stem. This presents an interesting etymology, drawing correlation between the familial image of Christ’s ancestry and his own virgin birth.

The Jesse Tree is best described as a prayer device for the home, the domestic church. While it is not liturgical in nature, it can be used beyond the home in places likes schools or religious education programs. Expressions of the Jesse Tree can take a variety of forms, but most typically it involves some artistic representation of the various ancestors of the Lord and an associated reflection or meditation.

The Jesse Tree’s relevance is multifaceted. It enables us to get a full survey of salvation history. We are connected to the central themes of Christian faith: that we have been made by an all-loving God and pursued by him in love when we have so often strayed and cut ourselves off from him. It becomes a perfect means to reflect on Christ’s coming as a man, that he descended from human beings, many of whom are not very much different from us and needed the salvation he brings as much as anyone. A reflection on Christ’s first coming in Bethlehem some 2,000 years ago is incomplete if we do not focus also on his coming again at the end of time. Christians remain in contact with our need for a savior when we study the purpose of his coming. But that requires us to live accordingly and be ready when he comes again.

Michael R. Heinlein is editor of Simply Catholic. Follow him on Twitter @HeinleinMichael. 

How to Make a Jesse Tree

Find out how to make your own Jesse Tree: osv.com/jessetree

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December 2 — Creation

Creation of Adam by Michaelangelo (detail) Public domain

No reflection on salvation history can begin without recognizing our origin from God. God made us in his own image, declaring us “very good.” We know our calling is to dwell in his love, and yet we so often stray from him. Even then his love is unbounded, that he would send his only Son to bring us back to him. It is only then we can truly be “very good.”

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December 3 — Adam and Eve

Sin became part of the human condition through our first parents. Eating the apple was part disobedience and part wanting to be equal to God. While God made us to be like him, our incorporation into the divine life happens on his terms, not ours. Humanity’s sinfulness results from skewed perspectives of creation, an inability to submit to the will of the One who made all things and to respect our proper role in the relationship we have with him. The result is God’s plan of redemption, whereby he sends us his Son to show us the true way to be human.
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December 4 — Noah

The story of Noah and his ark illustrates the corruptive and insidious nature of sin. Even the most personal of sins affect others, in ways we will often never recognize in this life. While God’s action in this story offers an opportunity for a “new creation” through his covenant with Noah, we can rightfully understand this as foreshadowing the new life to be found in Christ, which requires us to leave sin behind and follow Christ’s way.
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December 5 — Abraham

Abraham’s Journey from Ur to Canaan by Josef Molnar Public domain

All mankind has been created for a relationship with God. When God established his covenant with Abraham, he entered into a relationship with a people that will be particularly his own. This solidifies the relationship God has intended for his people from the beginning. Abraham’s story reiterates that we must reject anything that keeps us from faithfulness to God.
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December 6 — Isaac

Those who worship the true God learn through Abraham’s ordeal that sacrifice is essential. When God asked Abraham to sacrifice his son Isaac — the one through whom all of the promises God made would come true — he was willing to give God everything. This foreshadowed the offering of God’s Son in the new and everlasting covenant.
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December 7 — Jacob

Jacob Wresting with the Angel by Rembrandt van Rijn Public domain

Jacob (or Israel) is a complex figure. He became the inheritor of God’s covenant with Abraham despite having lied to achieve the birthright that made it possible. Nonetheless, God remained faithful in the context of Jacob’s situation. God’s love is indestructible.
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December 8 — Tamar

Tamar’s story represents how God’s gifts can be misused, illustrating how God’s love and generosity can even be exploited. Tamar was maligned after her first two husbands died, and she deceived their father, Judah, in order to secure a position of esteem in the line of Abraham. And she did, giving birth to twins and becoming one of only five women named in the genealogy of Jesus according to Matthew’s Gospel.
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December 9 — Joseph

The favor showed to Joseph by his father, Jacob, mirrors the favor God showed to his own Son. But this favor included rejection and suffering. As members of Christ’s body through our baptism, we should see ourselves no different than him and Joseph. But we also know that God’s love triumphs through their suffering and results in exaltation.
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December 10 — Moses

Fresco of Moses by Joseph Schonman in Altlerchenfelder church Shutterstock

Because of their sins, God’s chosen people ended up in Egyptian slavery. But God didn’t abandon them. Moses, despite his weaknesses, was chosen by God to lead his people from their bondage. God led them from slavery to freedom, yet they resisted, grumbled and even turned away from him — all an abuse of their freedom. So that his people would no longer be enslaved by sin, he gave them the Law as a means to true freedom.
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December 11 — Joshua

Faithfulness to God was seen in Joshua’s repeated success and conquests on the battlefield on behalf of God’s people. He led God’s people into Canaan, which God had promised them. Jesus’ ancestors gave God thanks for this victory and offered to him their loot as a sacrifice. Jesus descends from these as the one who makes the true and final sacrifice to God.
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December 12 — Rahab

The story of Rahab, the second woman mentioned in Matthew’s genealogy of Jesus, identifies how God’s purposes are at work even outside the community of believers. Rahab betrayed her own people and aided the Israelites to achieve God’s will. For this she was remembered as an example of great faith. Her family was incorporated into the Jewish people, a sign that God’s truth and his plans are open to all people.
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December 13 — Ruth

Ruth in Boaz’s Field by Julius Schnorr von Carolsfeld Public domain

God instilled in his people an intense respect for familial relationships, which is at the heart of the story of Ruth. She chose to work to support her mother-in-law, who lost her husband and sons to death. Ruth offered her life for Naomi, and in return she fell in love with Boaz, whose heart she won by her kindness. They married and together became ancestors of their long-awaited Messiah, the Lord Jesus.
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December 14 — Samuel

To help his people gain freedom from the Philistines, God instructed the wise and holy prophet Samuel to help establish the monarchy. This arose from the need for unity among God’s people. Samuel first anointed Saul to be king, but his weakness prohibited any effective leadership. Rather than be captured, he ended his own life. God’s people remained further divided until the kingdom unified again under David.
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December 15 — David

King David in Prayer by Pieter de Grebber Public domain

Jesus is tied to David’s lineage, which is crucial to be acknowledged as Messiah. David brought unity to God’s people, establishing a capital and announcing his plans to build a temple for God to dwell among his people. God’s favor for David earned him the title of God’s son. Despite David’s moral failures, God remained true to their covenant, but David was deprived from building the temple. And yet, God’s son descends from his line.
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December 16 — Bathsheba

King David’s greatest moral failing was the extramarital affair with Bathsheba and the murder he arranged of her husband so to acquire her as his own. When her son Solomon became king and built the temple in Jerusalem, Bathsheba was an advocate for the people with her son. She is the fourth woman mentioned in Jesus’ genealogy, and in some ways prefigures the intercessory role of Mary with her divine Son.
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December 17 — Elijah

Relief of Tree of Jesse, Cathedral St. Peter, Worms, Germany. Public domain

The chosen people fell away from God yet again and were even led by their king into the worship of pagan gods. Elijah did not fear sharing in the fate of many of Israel’s prophets, who had been killed. He challenged those who led worship of the pagan gods to a contest with the true God.
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December 18 – Hezekiah

The Jesse Tree by Absolon Stumme, from The Dome Altar in Hamburg, Germany, 1499 Public domain

The corrupt king Ahaz was replaced by his son Hezekiah. He was regarded as a faithful son of God and in many ways tried to make amends for his father’s waywardness. He directed God’s people toward reform of true worship. It was unnecessary that he needed to remind them to worship God alone.
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December 19 — Isaiah

Isaiah responded positively and generously to God’s call: that he deliver God’s word to a troubled Israel destined for captivity among the Babylonians on account of their wickedness. He gave a word of consolation and hope in the midst of their darkness and despair, reminding them that God’s love would see them through their suffering. And he prophesied how in God there must be hope even when there is no sign for hope.
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December 20 — Jeremiah

Jeremiah, as depicted by Michelangelo from the Sistine Chapel ceiling. Public domain

Jeremiah endured much suffering on account of his prophetic call to Israel. Jeremiah called out the Israelites for their hypocritical behavior, especially ignoring the needs of the marginalized and underprivileged. He spoke a message of hope to God’s people as they awaited a redeemer.
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December 21 — Sts. Anne and Joachim

Although unnamed in the Scriptures, Sts. Anne and Joachim are known through Christian tradition as the parents of the Blessed Virgin Mary. They embody Israel’s hopeful expectation of the messiah through their joyful acceptance of God’s plan. Since Jesus was conceived by the Holy Spirit’s power in Mary’s womb, the very flesh and blood of the Lord came from his mother’s parents.
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December 22 — St. John the Baptist

Sometimes discipleship means that we must be a sign of contradiction. St. John the Baptist dedicated his life to calling people to repentance and conversion through his ascetic life. He willingly personified Israel’s hope for the Messiah. A cousin of the savior, St. John lived as an icon of his coming and our need to prepare.
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December 23 — St. Joseph

St. Joseph’s great faith kept him from serving as an obstacle to God’s plan. When faced with marrying a pregnant Mary, he was instructed by an angel that the child came from God. Joseph knew life would become burdensome and hardship was certain. And yet he obeyed and poured out his life in service of God through his care for the Holy Family.
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December 24 — Blessed Virgin Mary

In the holy mother of God we find the antidote to what ails humanity. When, through sin, mankind rejected God time and again, Mary responded to his will with a “yes” heard through the ages. God’s word found a fertile home in her, the first disciple of her son and the one who leads us to her son always

Interior decor of Saint-Sulpice Church in Paris, France Shutterstock

 

*This story first appeared in Our Sunday Visitor.

 

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Advent

St. Andrew Christmas Novena

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The St. Andrew Christmas Novena, also known as the Christmas Anticipation Prayer, begins on the feast day of St. Andrew the Apostle on Nov. 30, and lasts until Dec. 24….

The St. Andrew Christmas Novena, also known as the Christmas Anticipation Prayer, begins on the feast day of St. Andrew the Apostle on Nov. 30, and lasts until Dec. 24. Tradition says the prayer should be recited 15 times each day. It is a beautiful, evocative and meditative Advent prayer.

Hail and blessed be the hour and moment in which the Son of God was born of the most pure Virgin Mary, at midnight, in Bethlehem, in piercing cold. In that hour vouchsafe, O my God, to hear my prayer and grant my desires (mention your intentions here), through the merits of Our Savior, Jesus Christ, and of His Blessed Mother. 
Amen.

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Advent

Advent: A Season of Hope

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Advent has a dual focus on Jesus’s coming, both in his first coming among us as a man and his coming at the end of time. Although this can, at…

Advent has a dual focus on Jesus’s coming, both in his first coming among us as a man and his coming at the end of time. Although this can, at times, lead to confusion, this twofold approach to the season allows Advent to teach us about God’s presence among us. In Advent, we learn that God is the basis of hope, and that such hope is the basis for increasing our love of this life.

Not just a future

Eternity is often thought of as a future goal alone. Thoughts like “when I enter eternal life” or “I look forward to eternity” can reveal attitudes that indicate that we might believe God only to be in our future. What this implies, however, is a loss of the presence of God in the here and now, creating a sense of distance between us and God. With this view, God is no longer close to us and our experience.

But Advent exists to retool or restore our vision. By focusing on the two comings of Christ, the Advent season reminds us that one cannot exist without the other. Eternity is a goal, yes, but it is also present now — albeit seen dimly as though through a mirror (see 1 Cor 13:12). Eternity enters our time and creation in Jesus, elevating all creation into eternity. The liturgy, the sacraments and the Church itself have become the means by which Christ makes himself present to us today — and therefore eternity is also in our midst, though not in its fullness due to the continued fallenness of the world. Where Jesus is, there is eternity, and we know he is not restrained to heaven alone. Advent helps us to see with fresh eyes that our eternal goal is already in progress because Christ is here with us. Because of his coming among us as man, eternity is within our grasp.

The foundation of hope

So often we reduce hope to wishful thinking: “I hope I win the lottery” or “I hope this job situation works out,” and so forth. This unfortunate reduction of hope has removed the virtue’s central character from Christian consciousness. Hope without a guarantee is just wishful thinking. Hope needs some guarantee if it is to be truly hope.

If eternity is present already in Christ, then hope finds its guarantee in him. We have hope because we already see the effects of Jesus in our lives and in the life of the Church. Hope gives us the ability to see Christ in all, to encounter him in prayer and sacrament, and to hear him in the Scriptures. All this gives our lives an enduring character. Christian hope says life is not fleeting, but rather is enduring because it is united to Jesus’s own life. Advent is the training ground of hope — of recognizing God’s presence as saving — in the face of whatever is fleeting and passing. Advent is the season of hope.

Increasing our desire

Advent, as a season of hope, helps increase our desire for God. This is done not only by seeing Him as a future goal, but also by seeing him as someone whom we can encounter today. We meet him and attain our unity with him through the state of life to which he calls us, and through the circumstances of life. God’s presence among us becomes clearer to us as we advance in the Christian journey. It is the unfolding of a mystery. And Advent is a time for us to focus on that especially.

This mystery will be revealed when we see God face to face. Heaven is in our midst today through Jesus’s presence among us. So if Jesus isn’t present to us today — meaning our heavenly goal is unattainable — then Christianity is just a fairy tale, a myth or wishful thinking. But if we look at life not as something to be avoided, but something to be embraced, we find that God is running toward us in Christ’s Incarnation, meeting us in our lives in such a way that he draws us into God’s own life. And this coming of Christ is what Advent is all about.

In the encounter of God we meet the One who loves us first, we experience his love as something life-giving. When we experience love like this, we cannot help but desire the One who seeks us. Seeing Advent as a time to increase our desire for God, then, we learn to experience Christ as the One who is always coming to meet us, always drawing us to himself. By embracing our vocation, our state of life and the situations of our lives, we also embrace opportunities of encounter with God. Advent, then, is our opportunity to recommit ourselves to encountering him through these things. By turning toward the Lord in this way, we will experience his love for us, which will increase our desire for Him, thereby increasing our hope.

Father Harrison Ayre is a priest of the Diocese of Victoria, British Columbia. Follow him on Twitter at @FrHarrison.

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