Today we celebrate the Feast of Christ the King. This is the last Sunday in the current Liturgical Year. Next week, we begin the Season of Advent. Rather than looking at Advent as a stand alone series of Sundays leading up to Christmas Season, this year what if we tried to focus collectively on these days as an entire season until we return to “Ordinary Time”.
Why this theme? Well, it’s interesting that of all 4 Gospels, John does not start with the birth of Jesus but starts his Gospel with, “In the beginning was the Word…” emphasizing that “The Word” was with God from the very beginning and “…the Word was God”. This is our first glimpse into the mystery of the Trinity. For all time, Jesus co-existed with the Father and was God. John then goes on to tell his readers of John the Baptist proclaiming the coming of the Lord and concludes with the verse, “And the Word was made Flesh and made his dwelling among us…”.
The apostle John felt it necessary to establish that Jesus was God and came to earth to dwell among us. During these seasons and feasts, we anticipate and prepare for the coming of Jesus, honor Mary as the virgin mother of Jesus, celebrate the humanness of Jesus’ birth, His place as a member of the Holy Family, the significance of Mary in Salvation History and the recognition by the magi that this child, unlike anyone before or after Him, was special.
While the major focus is on the preparation during the 4 weeks of Advent, there are many opportunities to prepare for the coming of Jesus and to continue enhancing our relationship with Him in these days:
• Consider joining one of our Heart to Home or Small Groups - even for just the Season of Advent - be bold enough to “step-out” of your comfort zone, participate, and make this season a turning point on your Spiritual Journey.
• Read the Gospel prior to the Sundays in Advent and reflect on them.
• Attend Mass at least one other day besides Sunday.
• Take Advantage of the Sacrament of Reconciliation.
As we get ready for our "New Year" - may this Season of Advent bring us toward new encounters with Christ.