Advent Musings 2024

Advent is a season of reflection and anticipation: reflection on the prophecies that foretold Jesus’ coming and anticipation of Jesus’ coming again today. The prophets spoke of a savior who would redeem the world. Now we look forward to the symbolic celebration of Jesus’ birth in our day.

In these days before Christmas, we might reflect on some of the stories in the Old Testament that told of a Messiah who would bring good news and peace. Those years before Christ’s coming were not too different from our world today, filled with wars, poverty, sickness, and violence. Jesus was born in a humble stable to a virgin and a carpenter. The three magi from the East were looking for a king but found a helpless baby lying a manger. The star led them to Bethlehem, an inconspicuous town, and they knelt before the child, offering their gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh.

Today, war and poverty and all kinds of evil still exist in our world, but we try to block out the horrors and bring each other expensive gifts and sing Christmas carols. Families celebrate together around a Christmas tree, and some of us go to Church and admire the crib with the animals and shepherds. That is a good thing, but after the tree comes down and the crib is put away, a very bleak world awaits.

Some of us pretend that things are getting better, and perhaps they are for some. But undocumented immigrants are filled with fear, the elderly who depend on Social Security dread losing their income, farmers worry about losing their harvesters, and children might be taught a whole new set of values and beliefs.

We pray that the Good News will break through and that the Advent message will be heard. We must be vigilant to keep our country safe and continue to be a beacon of hope for the rest of the world.  Come, Lord Jesus, come.