A challenge to celebrate Advent in a new way (Video)
There are many familiar words to describe Advent, such as “joy,” “hope,” and “awe.” Other words some may not think of are “waiting,” “fear,” and “belief,” Sister Teresa Maya of the Congregation of the Sisters of Charity of the Incarnate Word in San Antonio said to a group of religious and priests last week at the Archdiocesan Pastoral Center during an Advent reflection presented over three days.
But Sister Maya, who is the Senior Director for Theology and Sponsorship in the Catholic Health Association (USA), says the one word she will always use to describe Advent and the manifestation of God is “wonder.”
The number of events and traditions can get overwhelming, but she challenged the audience to enter Advent in a new way — beyond Santa visits, Christmas trees, cookies, and gifts. It is a time for us to really think about our beliefs, Sister Maya said.
“At this moment in our history, how do we take advantage of Advent and just try to be present in it?” she asked.
Using the four candles of an Advent wreath and this year’s four Advent readings, she described four “moments” we can reflect upon during Advent: staying awake, being disciples, moving as missionaries, and being together.
Candle one
Matthew 24:42: “Therefore, stay awake! For you do not know on which day your Lord will come.”
“Staying awake” or being fully conscious is hard during dark times, Sister Maya said.
“We keep breaking records on everything — climate change, violence, number of suicides, gun violence, mass shootings, the number of migrants moving through our continent,” Sister Maya said. “And it’s getting a little bit hard to ‘stay awake’ in our world today.”
Another word during Advent is “fear,” she said.
“How important it is that the very first week of Advent, we hear about fear all the time. Every time there’s an announcement to the shepherds, Mary, and Joseph, everyone’s afraid,” Sister Maya said. “And we kind of jump over it because our word for Advent is probably ‘joy,’ or ‘hope,’ or ‘beautiful,’ or ‘Christmas lights,’ or ‘frosty snow,’ but there’s a lot of fear, and there’s a lot of imagery of darkness and light.”
Do we see selectively, ignoring things that make us fearful? We are living through fearful times, and we must stay awake during even the most uncomfortable times, Sister Maya said.
Candle two
Mark 1:8: “I indeed have baptized you with water: but he shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost.”
On the second Sunday of Advent in Mark, John the Baptist says, “One mightier than I is coming after me … I have baptized you with water, but he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit.”
Sister Maya said the reading stands as a reminder that, as disciples, we are always “waiting.” During that wait, however, we must cultivate our relationship with Jesus.
“Jesus is a verb, not a noun,” she said. “We have to cultivate our encounters with Jesus. The Advent story has many extraordinary encounters — the angel with Joseph, Mary, the shepherds, and the Maji.”
Sister Maya said we should ask ourselves how we can use this season to cultivate more encounters with Jesus.
Candle three
John 1:6-8: “There was a man sent from God whose name was John. He came as a witness to testify concerning that light so that through him all might believe. He himself was not the light; he came only as a witness to the light.”
Advent and the Christmas season have a lot of movement in them, Sister Maya said.
This movement is reflected in the nativity scenes. She recalled as a child how the three wise men would begin far away in another room Before moving gradually closer.
“How do we move as disciples? Where are we looking for Jesus? Are we always vigilant, walking in the way of the Lord in justice and love?” Sister Maya said.
Candle four
Luke 1:30: “Then the angel said to her, ‘Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God.’”
Being together is key to Advent, Sister Maya said.
In Mexico, Pastorelas are part of the Christmas tradition, she said. The plays recreate the biblical passage where the shepherds follow the Star of Bethlehem to find the Christ Child. To reach the birthplace, they must experience a series of changes in fortune and confront the Devil, who will do everything possible to prevent them from completing their mission. The Archangel Michael intervenes to defend the shepherds on their journey.
“It’s always a group of shepherds. It’s always a group that’s trying to move. They are never alone in their journey,” Sister Maya said. “There are temptations, the angels come and fight the devils, and there’s all kinds of things going on, but they’re always together.”
The best way to stay together for Catholics and the Church today is to be missionary disciples who are compassionate for synodality.
“How are we listening to the Spirit that speaks through us all, and how are we going to become laboratories for synodality?” Sister Maya said.
Another word to describe Advent is “waiting.” Advent gospels are full of announcements to Joseph, Mary, the Shepherds, and the Magi. The waiting for and manifestation of God is not just limited to biblical times. It’s something that will happen again in the future, Sister Maya said.
During Advent, the gospel readings state that Jesus is still coming, which is a message that pleases Sister Maya.
”This particular Advent season, I couldn’t be more grateful, personally, to know that we’re not done yet, that God is not done with us yet,” she said. “Jesus is still coming.”
