As Advent Spiritual Journey Comes Near Its Completion with the Blessed Fruit of Mary Comes Nearer

Like Lent, Advent is characterized with preparation and penance. Fr. Mark Bosco, S.J. of Loyola University Chicago metaphorically compared Lent to a displacement experience as in Flannery O’Conner’s story, “The Displaced Person”.   In a way, upon the Original Sin, Adam and Eve being evicted from Eden, we have been “the displaced people” – being displaced from Eden.

I have, on the other hand, explained the 40 days of Lent to the 40 years of Exodus journey – moving from “spiritual Egypt”, the state of sinfulness, to the “spiritual land of milk and honey”, the state of life in God.  In fact, the Exodus itself is a displacement experience, as well, while it is also a transformative journey, reflecting Psalm 51.

Now, Advent can also be compared to a journey of transitional displacement. It is a journey from the state of displacement from God back to the life in God, symbolized with Eden, where God and human were not separated as they both lived in harmony, like Lent. But, for Advent, it is a journey to return to the state of a life in God by means of God’s grand salvific scheme of making Godself incarnated through Mary’s immaculate womb to dwell among us.  As this incarnated God, God in the human body of Jesus Christ, the son of Mary, dwells among us, we are shepherded back to Eden-like life in God. Advent season is when we journey to meet this incarnated God, our Savior, the Messiah, where he is born.  For this, we journey toward where he is being born, while the incarnated God is coming to dwell among us. As our encounter with this incarnated God – as this divine-human meeting draws nearer, our heart will be more enlightened by the glorious light of God. Therefore, Advent is our spiritual journey from  darkness of our ignorance of falling into sins into  the new light of God’s glory in Christ, the incarnated God.

Unlike Lent, but rather as if evoking lighting menorah during the 8 days of Chanukah celebration, four Advent candle are being lit one by one on each Sunday of the 4 Sundays of Advent. This symbolizes that we are gradually enlightened as Christ comes nearer to us, while our preparation to receive and welcome Christ advances.

During Advent, as aforementioned, there is a two-way movement: God is coming to us as the Word incarnating, and we prepare the way of the Lord. Thus, Advent is our mutual, God-human joint efforts to make God’s salvific scheme work.  This is, in fact, how God’s grace works, as it requires our cooperation to serve its purpose.  Advent is a time to prepare the way of the greatest grace, gift, favor, of God, namely, God Godself in the human flesh, to dwell among us, as God Godself is coming to us, as His self-gift.

Making the way for God to come to this world – to our heart - to turn to God, so that incarnated God, God in the human flesh of Jesus Christ, becomes a powerful agent of our conversion, after so many generations of failing to turn back to God after the Original Sin. Therefore, as John the Baptist preached, repenting and turning back to God – God’s way is how we cooperate this greatest grace, and this is ultimately how we make the way of the Lord to come, while making our way back to God on our transitional displacement journey.  Upon meeting with this incarnated God on the way of God we make, on Christmas, we will be no longer the displaced persons. At least, this is what the Advent journey into Christmastide is meant.

Following the Gaudete Sunday, the very last Sunday of Advent  has two main themes: rejoicing in the fruition of God’s grand salvific scheme through Mary’s immaculate womb and visitation.  As reflected in the Gospel reading for the 4^th Sunday of Advent on Cycle C, Luke 1:39-45, and read again on the following day, Mary visited Elizabeth, upon learning her surprise pregnancy and her cousin, Elizabeth’s pregnancy to care for her.  And, Mary was in haste to see Elizabeth, in spite of difficult journey to go through hilly landscape on Judea. 

Mary must be filled with so much joy that she could not contain. That is why she leaped over hills to see Elizabeth, as echoed in the first reading for the following Monday, Song of Songs 2:8-14, in which a young man in love is described as to jump over mountains to see his beloved woman. In fact, this excited and joyful visitation spirit is what characterizes how God is coming to dwell among us as the Word becoming flesh, incarnated God, as Jesus Christ, the Messiah, and Emanuel, which means God being with us.  It is not just visiting but to stay with us as we need. So, Mary stayed with pregnant Elizabeth to care for, although she, too, was pregnant.

To Mary’s caring visitation, Elizabeth greeted with blessings, saying, “Most blessed are you among women!” Furthermore, she also blessed the baby growing inside the womb of Mary, saying, “Blessed is the fruit of your womb!”

And, Mary’s response to Elizabeth’s blessing greetings is singing Magnificat, as reflected in the Gospel reading for Tuesday of the 4^th week of Advent, Luke 1:46-56.  Mary’s soul was magnified with joy, as Elizabeth’s benedictory greetings prompted her to deepen and sharpen her awareness of how God Himself has been blessing not only her and Elizabeth but the entire world through the fruit of her immaculate womb, waiting for his full-term to come out.  Thus, harvest time of the fruit of Mary’s womb is near.

As Mary visited Elizabeth in Luke 1:39-45, which is read on the 4^th Sunday of Advent and on the following Monday, also as a young man in Song of Songs 2:8-14, which is read on the Monday of the 4^th week of Advent on Cycle C, reflects, God in His incarnated form through Mary’s immaculate womb is coming to visit us and to stay with us, as His mission is to dwell among us, till the end of time, as Emanuel. On Christmas, when our Advent journey meets God’s coming in haste to dwell among us, we see the fruit of Mary’s womb, whom Elizabeth blessed.

Now, are we ready to bless the fruit of Mary’s womb, who is very near at this time on our Advent journey? Is our cooperation to this greatest grace of God, the fruit of Mary’s immaculate womb, is ready to welcome Emanuel?

We must remain vigilant, as reminded by the Gospel reading on the First Sunday of Advent, Luke 21:25-28, 34-36.  

Let us joyfully remain vigilant so that we know when the blessed fruit of Mary's womb appears! With this fruit, the greatest grace we receive, we shall be no longer displaced from God! We shall rejoice always in the Lord, as we enjoy our new life in spirit. 

Merry Christmas!