|
|
|
|
Advent Thoughts
“May you cling to His most sweet Mother who gave birth
to a Son whom the heavens could not contain, and yet she carried Him in the
little enclosure of her holy womb and held Him on her virginal lap.”
Greetings in this holy season of Advent! This quotation
from St. Clare’s third letter to St. Agnes draws us into the contemplation of
the mystery and awe of the Incarnation. Our God, creator of the universe and
everything in it became a human being in the same way that you and I did! I
could end this article right here and invite everyone to spend time in gazing
upon, considering, contemplating this awesome mystery. Advent is such a rich season that I have had great
difficulty deciding which aspect of the season to center on in these brief
words. It is a season of waiting; a Marian season; a season that draws me into a
natural quiet stance with its long dark evenings; a season that stands as a
perfect foil for the frenetic holiday spirit all around us. It is a time of
anticipation, of holy desire, longing and expectancy. It is a season that tells
the story of our redemption from the creation of humanity to the fulfillment of
the Second Coming of Christ. So how can I choose only one aspect of Advent? In our parishes there will be no Christmas decorations
until Christmas Eve. In our monastery we will put off decorating until as close
to Christmas as possible. Because we pray the Liturgy of the Hours (the Divine
Office) six times a day together and pray and meditate on the readings for Mass
each day, it is easier to remain in the season. The Church has carefully chosen
the passages from Scripture to reflect the mystery of the season. By choosing
the Old Testament passages that foretell the events of the Messiah the faithful
are drawn progressively toward the descent of Divinity into human history. On Christmas Eve around 1259, Saint Clare was too ill to
join the sisters at the Midnight prayers. Her longing for being with her sisters
and her meditations on the Incarnation burst forth into a vision of the
Christmas celebration taking place in the Basilica of St. Francis at the other
end of Assisi. She saw a crèche with the Infant Jesus, the faithful gathered
for Midnight Mass, and heard the melodious singing. It is as if her meditation
and the images in her mind took on life. I invite you to enter into this season as fully as possible by spending quiet time reflecting on the Sunday readings. Read them over several times during the week before you go to Mass. Read them slowly and thoughtfully, allowing the words to create an atmosphere of peace and quiet. If a particular verbal image attracts you, stay with it repeating the words quietly and allowing your imagination to play with the words. Allow God to draw you into the Word who became Flesh! |
|
|