During Advent, we are not preparing for the Coming of the Savior; we are preparing for the Birth of Jesus. Jesus had already Come, at His Conception, which is celebrated on the Solemnity of the Annunciation. How, then, did the Church deal with the prayers of the Liturgy that remain in place, prayers that urge us to look forward to Christ’s Coming, and music that does the same? Well, the Church decided to ignore the dichotomy that was created and to emphasize that we are “looking forward” to the Second Coming and to the personal coming of Jesus to us in Holy Communion. In the process, the prayers of the Mass and all the “trimmings” of Advent remain; and if you listen closely, many homilies still have us looking for to the Coming of the Savior.
The two feast days – the Annunciation and the Birth of the Lord – celebrate two distinct events in the life of Jesus and of the Church and of the world. They should not be confused or conflated. The event of Jesus’ Conception was the fulfillment of God’s Promise to send a Savior, a Promise expected and anticipated for centuries. It was a quiet but immensely profound event, witnessed by one angel and one human being, who at that moment became the Mother of God! Actually, there were multitudes of unseen angels looking on, and the Father smiled at the obedience of the Word and of His loving Servant Mary. And, the power and love of the Holy Spirit filled that small room as He became the spouse of the Virgin. This was the event without which there would be no “Advent,” without which there would be no Christmas. It was an event focused on GOD.
And so, during the Advent Season, the proper emphasis should be on looking forward to seeing the Face of God. With Mary, we wait nine months; we speak to Our Savior and the Virgin, marveling with Mary that shortly we will see the Son of God. We never forget that He has already Come and that mankind no longer must wait for the Promise to be fulfilled; but we pray for an increase in gratitude to God that He graciously permits us sinners to see the Face of His Son. Christmas is a feast intended for MAN and is one day in the incarnated Life of Jesus, when we join Mary and Joseph and the shepherds and the visible choirs of angels. I cannot help but wonder if the Blessed Virgin would often lovingly look back on those nine months when She and Her Divine Son were alone together, just as we and Jesus are alone together each time we receive the Holy Eucharist.
So, two events; two feasts. One in which the focus is on God, one in which the focus is on Man – Man and the Father’s gift of the ability to see and learn to know His very own Son, the Word of God. What about the Advent liturgy and the prayers and music that are “preparing” us for the First Coming? That is something that will have to be dealt with over time. The important thing to remember is that Jesus Came to live among us nine months before the event we will be celebrating on December 25; but that on that Day, on the Solemnity of Christmas, at last we will be able to see Him Who is our Redeemer.
