Celebrating in an "In-Between" World

Though often overlooked by Catholics, the first Sunday of Advent marks the start of a new liturgical year. At Mass last Sunday, i.e. the final Sunday of the previous liturgical year, Catholics celebrated the Feast of Christ the King with readings focusing appropriately on apocalyptic themes. This Sunday began the season of Advent, whose Latin root means "coming". Interestingly, the readings of the first Sunday of the new year are also apocalyptic. While perhaps strange on the surface, these selections are intentional and fitting, for Advent serves not only as a memorial of the historical coming of Jesus as man into human history 2000 years ago, but it also celebrates the current Advent in which we find ourselves today.

This present Advent is our preparation for a different "coming" of Christ; not his Incarnation but his Second Coming, the Parousia (from ancient Greek meaning "coming"). These two terms, Advent and Parousia, precede different historical events; one which occurred 2000 years ago and one which will occur at the end of this age. Catholics can readily identify with the Jewish people of the Hebrew Scriptures who anticipated the "coming" of the promised Messiah. We can also find solidarity with Jewish people of today who, like us, await Christ's coming.

To paraphrase Carl Sagan, we find ourselves in an "in-between" world. While Sagan's context referred only to the constant changes of the physical world, the Catholic sense of our present "in-between" world adds to that our own persistent development into holy people. Our aim is to prepare for the Parousia with hope. What a momentous opportunity this Advent season could provide us.

(As an aside, "liturgical year" makes far more sense than, say, "school year". We celebrate the liturgy every week of the actual year. Those pupils referring to nine-month-long school terms as "years" had better be attending one of those gilded ivies on Earth's nearest neighbor.)

H/T to Fr. Rolyn at Christ the King in Mesa, AZ whose homily today informed much of this post's content.