Advent Christmas

ADVENT CHRISTMAS

Advent is the season that begins the liturgical year. It consists of four Sundays starting with the Sunday closest to November 30th. The word advent is derived from Latin adventus, which means “coming” or “arrival.” In the societies of the Roman Empire, the word adventus referred to the arrival of a person of dignity and great power – a king, emperor or even the gods. For Christians, Advent is the time when the church patiently prepares for the coming of the King of the Kings, Jesus Christ. Purple is the traditional color of Advent.

Advent is the liturgical season that includes Christmas and the Epiphany - Epiphany of our Lord is the wonderful liturgical festival observed in January 6. The festival commemorated three incidents that manifested the mission and divinity of Christ: the visit of Magi (Matthew 2:1-12), the baptism of Jesus (Mark 1: 9-11), and the miracle at Cana (John 2:1-10) - and continues until the beginning of Lent – Lent is a forty days liturgical season that initiates the most sacred part of the Christian year. Even though Advent occurs in the month of December and is usually considered to be a prelude to Christmas, it is not simply about waiting for the birth of Christ. Advent is a much about preparing for Christ’s threefold coming – past, present, and future. First, we remember the Lord’s humble first coming in Bethlehem
two thousand years ago. Second, we give thanks for His present and continual coming to us through Word and Sacrament. Finally, we look forward with hope and longing to His second coming glory to judge the living and the dead on the Last day.

Advent’s four Sundays are thematically arranged to concentrate on different aspects of Christ’s coming. The first Sunday in Advent deals with Christ’s triumphant arrival in Jerusalem on Palm Sunday, the event that marked the beginning of His passion (Mark 11:1-10). The second Sunday introduces the prophetic of John the Baptist, the one who urged Israel to prepare for the coming if the long-awaited Messiah (Luke 3:1-6). The third Sunday focuses on the content of John’s preaching, especially his call to the people to repent and his emphasis on the coming Messiah as the One who is will baptize “with the Holy Spirit and with fire” (Luke 3:7-18). The final Sunday in Advent is the bridge to Christmas with its attention to the miracle of Christ’s conception in the womb of the Blessed Virgin Mary by the power of the Holy Spirit (Matthew 1:18-25 and Luke 1:26-38).

God has different plans and purposes for all His children. Many failed to realize! Throughout the year, God has blessed us abundantly in many ways. We have come across many failures and always tend to forget the blessings that God has showered upon us every single day. At times, while we are extremely indulged in utilizing God’s gift in different ways, we forgot to give praise to Him. Let’s recall the reason why the Israelites were the people of the city of Ai. The Israelites always succeed when God was them. Let’s renew our faith and trust in God. He wants nothing from us, except to remember Him, trust Him wholeheartedly and call Him up at the first place when we are in need of any help (Jeremiah 3:33). God sees the heart.

As we prepare ourselves to celebrate the birth of the Savior Jesus Christ, let’s get ready to welcome CHRIST in our life. He wants to use us as His faithful soldier. There are many ways by which we can contribute towards working for God.  Count your blessings every day and be fearless to help expand His Kingdom. There are just many of them in this world  who does not believe the Living God or hasn’t heard about Him. Have a firm believe in yourself and in our Living God. He is the Almighty and EVERYTHNG, JUST EVERYTHING IS IN HIS HAND. “Be Happy all the being, let us embrace the peace that the holy lamb has brought to us. Let us make sure that those around us also share our joy and love. Be there for needy persons and you will made a difference. As we celebrate Christmas, may all of us experience the true love. Jesus is the reason for the season and he is the epitome of true love.”

AMEN