There was once a man wandering in a desert. As he wandered, he saw far off in the distance a light shining over a mountain way. He thought to himself, “this is where I must go to find what I am looking for.” So he changed course and began walking in the direction of the light.
At the bottom of the valley, he saw a small glowing purple-colored light. Curious, he approached it, and as he did, he saw an older man under a tent – alone, aged but seemingly very wise, holding and intensely reading an ancient scroll. When this man looked up, he greeted him, “Good evening. Welcome! Who are you looking for?”
“Well I am on a journey and I am trying to understand that,” the man said. “I am drawn to that white light over the mountain off in the distance and that’s where I am going. The only other thing I know is that I’m supposed to meet someone whose name begins with an ‘A’.”
“Ahhh! Amazing!” said the elder. “My name begins with an A… do you know what my name is?”
“Is it Adam?”
“No… but that’s a nice guess. The one whom you seek is named “Adam,” but he is called the “New Adam.”
“Is it Andrew?”
“No it is not Andrew. But he was the first one called by the One you seek… to follow him.”
“Ok, I give up. What is your name…? And why are you here all by yourself in this lonely, deserted place?”
“Well,” he said, “my name is Advent. I am not so much a man as I am a season of time. Yes, it is very lonely here; and although I have this haunting, lovely violet light to shine, I am mostly unnoticed, sometimes ignored. Most people, even believers of the New Adam, just pass me by on this road.”
“Then why are you out here?”
“As Advent, I have a very important and singular purpose. It is to show people what the light on the mountain means. It is to show people the true meaning of the New Adam, the birth of the Christ who is the Savior of the World… and the true, real authentic meaning of what we call Christmas. I am here to remind them that the birth of the Christ, the Light of the World, is more valuable than all of the gifts of the world put together. Without me, it is impossible to understand Christmas. And without Christ, our lives have no meaning.”
The season of Advent is most important, yes, but also mostly overlooked, ignored and completely unnoticed compared to the cultural pomp and circumstance and the glorious, colorful decor of Christmas.
Jennifer Frey, host of the Sacred and Profane Podcast, a Catholic podcaster I follow on “X” observed last year: “Growing up in Ohio, I had never heard of Advent. I was 19 and already attending Mass when I was first introduced to this liturgical season. There are 62 million Catholics in the United States. Imagine if we observed/witnessed Advent in ways visible to others? Call me crazy, but I feel certain it would have some effect on people’s understanding of what is actually going on with Christmas.”
Last Advent, I was leaving a restaurant and exchanging pleasantries with others before heading to the car. While many said “Merry Christmas” I decided to greet someone with “Happy Advent!” Needless to say, he had a very surprised look on his face! But it did get his attention.
That is the purpose of Advent: to get our attention, and then refocus on Christ. Pray today and this week about how God is calling you to witness to Advent, to observe Advent, to pray this Advent. Seriously. For without Advent, it is impossible to truly understand Christmas.
A Happy Advent to you, each and all. And may your minds, lives, hearts and souls be blessed by the Holy Spirit with this understanding and a new purpose and meaning.
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