Thursday of the First Week of Advent
All the liturgical seasons have their own unique themes. Advent is a favorite liturgical season for many. What is so special about the season of Advent? Perhaps, that of all the seasons of the year, Advent is the most true to life. It is a time of waiting. A season of hope. We hope. We look forward. We are always a people looking forward, always waiting, always hoping.
We are people searching, looking for what needs to be made complete – in our world, our cities, families, ultimately, in ourselves. This is another way of saying that we are incomplete. We recognize our incompleteness. Neither our world nor we ourselves are perfect. This incompleteness is the ground in which the seed of hope is planted. We are always on the way. We are always striving, moving forward. We can always hope.
Advent is a time when we see this incompleteness even more clearly than at other times. That is one blessing of the seasons. We focus on realities that are with us all the time. We can see our life from different perspectives and draw it all together, hopefully, around the one center, Jesus the Lord.
Advent is the season that consecrates our waiting. During these days we acknowledge our waiting, our need to wait for the Lord. We recall the WAITING of Israel for a savior. We celebrate our waiting state as we know that the LORD desires to show us favor.
Hoping.
Waiting.
Searching.
These are themes of Advent. Everything about the season helps us in that journey. To really look carefully at ourselves, to see what needs healing, what needs to be completed, we need to take some time to reflect on our lives. Ideally, Advent in its liturgies, Scriptures, and prayers, gives us the environment to do that. We can do all these things even as the commercial world swirls around us. Set aside even a few minutes each day, attend Mass more frequently, go to confession.
In this way, we will allow the season to touch us, allow the Lord to speak to us.
Reflection by Fr. Peter Ullrich, OSB
Posted in Articles for Advent, Articles for Advent, Daily Reflections