Let us all rediscover the true joy of Advent

We can say wonderful things about Christmas: that it is a time of joy, of being with family, of sharing among friends, of being generous and giving gifts, etc. Yes, that is usually and habitually done every year in the month of December.

But that is not Christmas. Christmas is the enormous event where the Savior of the world is born, where Jesus, the son of God, becomes man.

Today, that has been forgotten, and we are left with the accessory aspects of this great event.

What has happened? The answer is simple. Faith has been lost – faith in God, faith in the Bible, faith in the Church.

Let us look at a few examples of this sad and truly regrettable fact.

For those who are older, it is easy to remember what Christmas cards were like, for example. They were really beautiful, showing images of the birth of Jesus; the relevance of Jesus, Mary and Joseph; the star of Bethlehem, the shepherds, the three wise men. And they all usually had a text that said Merry Christmas. Today, cards have images of presents, of Santa Claus falling headfirst down a chimney, of trees with lights, etc. And the text is a simple and insipid Happy Holidays. Happy Holidays from what? That is the question.

Now, we can remember the advertisements, the publicity from that time long gone. Jesus was the protagonist. Look at the Christmas commercials of this time, Jesus, the manger, the angels in heaven singing the Glory, are totally foreign and almost decidedly ignored.

Another example is the Christmas carols. Previously they were songs and hymns that narrated the birth of the Messiah, songs that raised the soul to God. Listen to the ones today, the red nose of a certain reindeer called Rudolph. Santa Claus, who did not bring presents to a poor child, and all more or less like that.

Look at the morning television programs, Good morning America, Wake Up America, and others. What do they say or discuss about Christmas that would surprise you? Nothing!

Just the recipe for Aunt Lola's cream dessert for Dec. 24. How to wrap gifts with aluminum foil. What to use for the cold at Christmas time, and all the nonsense you can think of.

Yes, we have lost faith in Jesus, in that child who is God, who was born in a humble manger, next to Mary his mother and his adoptive father Joseph. We have lost the sense of joy that this time brings. Today people buy gifts, prepare delicious meals and dishes, toast and get drunk for the December holidays.

December holidays? And what is the reason for these holidays? What is it that is celebrated? Why the joy this time? We don't really know, other than that we have to have a good time with the family because it is a beautiful time.

There is no doubt, we have lost faith in Christmas, that is, in the birth of the Son of God. And now as they tell us that any path is good to reach God, why Christmas? Not at all.
How do we reclaim Advent, celebrating it for all the right reasons?

First, some history.

Advent is the beginning of the Liturgical year, it begins on the Sunday closest to Dec. 1 and ends on Dec. 24. It is the four Sundays before Christmas and forms a unity with Christmas and Epiphany.

The term Advent comes from the Latin adventus, which means coming, arrival. The color used in the liturgy of the Church during this time is purple. With Advent the new liturgical year begins in the Church.

During this time of waiting for the Lord, we are invited to pray and to delve deeper into the Word of God, but we are called above all to become a reflection of the light of Christ, which in reality is Christ himself.

In any case, we all know how difficult it is to reflect this light of Christ, especially when we have lost our illusions and have become accustomed to living without Christ, without God, without faith, without the Church. We no longer hope to live in the mediocrity of our daily routine life.

Advent reminds us that we have to be ready to meet the Lord at every moment of our lives, especially on the day of our own death, which is undoubtedly the time we think about the least.

Advent is not just that “nice” time that makes us think of Christmas and that Santa is coming with lots of presents and Ho ho ho …! No, Advent is really the time of preparation and waiting to actualize the wonderful event of the coming of God made man, in the person of Jesus, our Savior.

Let us embrace Advent as an opportunity to prepare ourselves for the coming of Christ, now, at his second coming, or for the day of our death.

This is Advent.

Merry Christmas.

Fr. Raul Sanchez is the pastor at Holy Cross Catholic Church in Madill.