Advent—A Time to See and Hear Anew

This time of year can become a whirlwind of frantic activity pushed along by a wind of noise. Preparation for family dinners, gifts, travel and guests can prevent us from doing the most needed preparation—that of making our hearts ready for the coming of the King of heaven and earth. That is why we so need Advent—a time to see and hear anew.

Advent means “coming.” It points to the coming of Christ to a people who need Him so very much. The Church highlights in the Divine Office a sermon of St. Bernard of Clairvaux to help us understand how Christ comes. It tells us that there are three comings of Christ. The first coming was when the Word became Man in the womb of the Blessed Virgin Mary and was born in Bethlehem. The final coming will be when Christ will come at the end of time, when “all flesh will see the salvation of our God.” (Lk 3:6) The third coming is an intermediate one, that is, a hidden coming in which “only the elect see the Lord within their own selves, and they are saved” (Sermo 5, In Adventu Domini).
           
During Advent we rejoice in the first coming of Christ as we prepare to celebrate the Feast of His Birth. We also look forward to His coming at the end of time. However, in a special way during Advent, we open our hearts to welcome the Lord as He comes to us in an intimate, hidden way each day. But to welcome Him into our lives on a daily basis we must ask God for the grace to see and hear Him, who often comes quietly and yet powerfully. To perceive and rejoice in the intermediate, daily coming of Jesus we must become people who hear carefully and who see with eyes opened to the mystery of Christ. This is the heart of Advent.
           
Advent was a beautiful and even mystical time for me as a child. My mother set the tone for this tine when vestments at Mass changed to violet, reminding us that there was a penitential mood of anticipation that was also founded on a boundless joy, because all pointed to the coming of Jesus in the flesh in the stable of Bethlehem. Proof of this joy, which spilled over into the careful preparation for His Birth, are the feasts of light that punctuate Advent. St. Nicholas, bishop and patron of children, portrays that charity which the Church has for the poor. St. Francis Xavier, priest and missionary, highlights the mission of the Church to proclaim Jesus to all nations. St. John of the Cross, Carmelite mystic and reformer, teaches us that the Word Incarnate is found in the simplicity of a manger and in the heights of contemplation. St. Juan Diego, son of Mary and little one of the world, manifests the love of God that comes to us through a Mother. The feasts of the Immaculate Conception and Our Lady of Guadalupe remind us of the place of the humble Virgin in God’s plan of salvation for us all.
           
The spirit in our house during Advent was one of vigilant prayer and watchful seeking. From the Feast of St. Andrew the Apostle, we prayed the “Christmas Prayer” also known as “The Prayer to Obtain Favors.”

Hail and blessed be the hour and the 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, through the merits of Our Savior Jesus Christ, and of His Blessed Mother. Amen.
           
We prayed the prayer 15 times each day, spaced into three groups of five. We offered these prayers for our own spiritual preparation for the Feast of Christ’s Birth, and for all those experiencing difficulties in preparing.
           
Our prayer of longing for the Savior reminded us that Advent is a time of prayerful listening. In order to hear Our Lord’s voice speaking to us, we must quiet our voice and our heart.
           
Advent is a wonderful time to begin to come to Mass daily or at least as often as possible. We find that as we open our hearts to hear the Sacred Scriptures proclaimed at Mass, we will discern Our Lord’s speaking to us. The beauty of this prayerful silence will help us to kneel in jubilant adoration before Jesus truly present in the Blessed Sacrament on the Altar. We will hear the bells rung at Mass to be the announcement of Christ Our Savior coming upon the altar under the appearances of bread and wine.
           
During the Season of Advent, we pray for an increase and deepening of our faith. It is very important for us to renew our faith in Jesus Christ truly present in the Church and in our life. Do we really believe that God became one of us and that He was born for us in the stable of Bethlehem? Do we really believe that Christ becomes present at Mass and comes to us in Holy Communion? We prepare during Advent, that we may see him at work in our lives. We ask for eyes of faith, that we may see Him each day and experience him walking with us especially in our difficulties and our sorrows.
           
If we can see Christ coming to us each and every day, at Mass when we receive Him in Holy Communion, when we come before Him in prayer and hearing Him in the Holy Scriptures, and in our encounters with one another, then we will be able to see Him coming at His Birth in Bethlehem and we will look forward to seeing Him at the end of time.
           
As Advent begins let us ask God for the grace to have the heart and ears of a child who listens for the announcement of the coming of the Divine Child at His Birth. Let us ask God for the grace to have eyes of faith, so that we may take the road to Bethlehem with Our Lady and St. Joseph as our guides.
           
May this Advent be a time of grace, of listening, and of seeing the mystery of Christ’s coming in our midst!

Most Reverend William J. Waltersheid
Auxiliary Bishop of Pittsburgh