On Advent "Exodus" Journey into the "Post-Exilic" New Order with Christ

Like Lent, Advent is a season of preparation. While Lent prepares us to journey with Christ through the climax of his Paschal Mystery to welcome the risen Christ in our heart, Advent prepares us to welcome the very first theophany, in which God, who is Logos, is in the human flesh of baby Jesus, born of Mary the Immaculate Blessed Virgin.

In order to prepare for the adventus (arrival) of Christ, we go through nearly 4 weeks of journey, with 4 Sundays to punctuate. The Advent journey begins when we start a liturgical year, with the First Sunday of Advent.

The first week of Advent is a wake-up call, to arouse our soul from the slumber of worldly influences so that we can be vigilant in preparing ourselves for the adventus of Christ, as it is becoming imminent as the Advent season advances.

In order to become spiritually awake, open our eyes of faith, and to stay vigilant throughout the Advent season and the entire liturgical year, we reflect how Jesus has taught us to prepare for his return, on the First Sunday of Advent and during the first week, juxtaposing our actual preparation for the Parousia and the feast of the Nativity of the Lord.

Reading mostly from so-called the Book of Consolation of the Deutero Isaiah, the second week of Advent reflects the imminence of the adventus of God’s salvific promise, specifically juxtaposing the adventus of Christ to the adventus of God’s delivery of His beloved people out of the Babylonian Exile. The adventus of Christ in the early first century was to deliver us from the state of sins, reflecting how God delivered the Israelites from the slavery in Egypt and from the exile in Babylon. Then, we have been preparing ourselves, in reality, for the return of Christ, Parousia, so that God’s grand salvific scheme will consummated as envisioned in Revelation 19-22.

Recognizing God’s salvific act is imminent during the second week of Advent, our guilt and lamentation of consequences of our sins give their way to new hope, which continues to grow in anticipated joy. This is how we move from the second week of Advent into the third week of Advent, which begins with Gaudete Sunday (the Third Sunday of Advent).

Rejoicing in anticipation of the imminence of God’s salvific plan’s execution, namely, the adventus of Christ, we kick into the second and last part of the Advent journey on Gaudete Sunday. In this part of the Advent, the Christmas novenas of Las Posada in the Mexican Catholic tradition and of Simbang Gabi in the Filipino Catholic tradition are taking place to highlight our preparation for the adventus of Christ, from December 16 until Christmas Eve. This is also we hear Christmas caroling more intensely, and we sing “O Antiphones” from December 17 through 23, as follows:

O Sapientia (O Wisdom) – Sirach 24; Proverbs 8 - December 17

O Adonai (O Lord) – Exodus 3:14  - December 18

O Radix Jesse (O Root of Jesse) – Isaiah 11:1 -  December 19

O Clavis David (O Key of David) –  Isaiah 22:22 -  December 20

O Oriens (O Dayspring) – Jeremiah 23:5 - December 21

O Rex Gentium (O King of the Nations)  -  Jeremiah 10:7  - December 22

O Emmanuel (O With Us is God) – Isaiah 7:14  - December 23

What follow each “O” is seven names of Christ found in the Old Testament. From Sapientia before the Creation (Proverbs 8:22-25) to Emmanuel to be seen in the eyes of faith (Isaiah 7:14, 8:8; Matthew 1:23), we reflect gradual nearness of Christ, while reflecting various names of Christ.

Theophany is at hand!  The Kingdom of God is at hand! The nearness of the Lord is like the down, when the sunrise is very near. And, Christ, who is coming and arriving soon, is the light (John 8:12), breaking the darkness of this sin-plagued darkness. Now, are we fully awake and vigilantly watching for signs of his arrival?

After all, our Advent journey is an exodus from an old worldly order to the new order of the Good News of the Messiah. It is also to journey to be ushered into our “post-exilic” era to return to God’s intimate fold, namely, the Kingdom of God.  For the first two weeks, we might have journeyed slow, as we were waking up and the path was very dark. But, for the second part of the journey, we pick up the pace and go faster, as we recognize and follow the increasing light, while it becomes easier for us to see our path.  As the sky become gradually brighter upon dawn, our path to witness the adventus of Christ also becomes progressively brighter, as days draw closer to Christmas Day – as we advance further into the second part of the Advent journey, reflected in Misa de Gallo, which influenced Simbang Gabi. 

Repent to spell out the darkness of sins our of our hearts so that we can rejoice over the adventus of Christ with nothing to hold us back, with nothing to cloud the light of his adventus !