Armodoxy for Today: The Cue for Advent

Advent means “coming.” The coming of the Lord was foretold centuries before his birth. His coming was announced by the angel of the Lord, “I bring you good tidings of great joy which will be to all people. For there is born to you this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. (Luke 2:10-11). And for the last two thousand years we celebrate his coming as the Nativity, as the Revelation of God and of course, as Christmas.

Christmas is much more than the celebration we know of today. To better appreciate the celebration of Christmas, the Church has set up a period of preparation, which uses the name “Advent.” In other words, in preparing for Christmas, we focus on Christ’s coming to us in Bethlehem 2000 years ago, and into our lives today.

The first Sunday of Advent with its unique Gospel reading sets the pace and cues up the general tone for the days ahead. It is the parable of the “Rich Fool” and we find Jesus speaks it in the Gospel of St. Luke (12)

“The ground of a certain rich man yielded plentifully. And he thought within himself, saying, ‘What shall I do, since I have no room to store my crops?’ So he said, ‘I will do this: I will pull down my barns and build greater, and there I will store all my crops and my goods. And I will say to my soul, “Soul, you have many goods laid up for many years; take your ease; eat, drink, and be merry.  But God said to him, ‘Fool! This night your soul will be required of you; then whose will those things be which you have provided?’ So is he who lays up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God.”

The Church Fathers ask us to begin the Advent Season with this parable. If necessary, read the parable again, paying attention to the words of the “Rich Fool.” If you’re inclined to push yourself a bit, compare it with the message Jesus gives us in the Sermon on the Mount, in the 22nd verse of the Gospel of St. Matthew, chapter 5. Ask yourself, what do you make of how Jesus refers to the man in the parable?  This is the starting point of our Advent Journey. We return tomorrow to pick up right where we left off.

Lord, open my heart, my mind and my ears to the words you speak to me. Amen.