Advent is here again to help us prepare for the birth of Jesus. Advent is a special period of grace not to be missed if we truly desire Christ in our life. The word Advent is from two Latin words Ad, meaning, to, and venire, which means to come. The word Adventus is also used to describe advent and it means “coming” or “arrival” Thus advent relates to the coming of Christ.

Today, advent is the period of four Sundays that precede Christmas. Since at Christmas, we celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ, advent invites us to prepare well so that Christ can find us at his birth, prepared to welcome him and live with him.

For Catholics, advent is the first liturgical season of the year as the first Sunday of advent is the first day of the new liturgical year. Advent emphasizes such themes as hope, peace love and joy. The dominant colour of Advent is purple but as the season progresses, it is often toned down by the use of the rose colour or lavender which is not as dark as Purple.

Some other items are associated with Advent, one being their Advent Wreath, which is an arrangement of grass decorated with four candles to designate the four Sundays of Advent. Traditionally, the Candle for the first Sunday is called the Prophecy Candle and this represents hope and our yearning for the coming of Christ, so we wait in hope. The Second candle is called the Bethlehem candle, and it represents peace. We are invited to Journey with Mary and Joseph to Bethlehem as Mary goes to give birth to the Saviour of the world and the peace that her Son, Jesus brings. The third candle is the Shepherd’s candle, and this represents joy. The Shepherds were filled with joy when they heard the news of the birth of Jesus. Hence, during Advent, we pray that our preparations will lead us to the same joy. Lastly, the fourth candle is the Angel’s candle, and this represents love and the message of God ‘s love for the world that the angels announced when Jesus was born.

Advent invites us to yearn for these graces, to prepare ourselves so that we can receive them. Yes, it is a period of waiting, but not waiting in vain. While we wait, we prepare ourselves. Today, humanity is so preoccupied with many other stuffs such that there is no room for God in the life of many people. Advent is a time of redress, a time to declutter, remove whatever is not worthy of God or whatever distracts you from focusing on God and create a chance to encounter God. It is also important to create a space for God or as theologians say, to create a room for God in our heart, so that he could come and stay in us.

The prophets and John the Baptist remind us of what to do, we are to level the mountains making our passage to God difficult. We are to fill in the potholes. The road to the heart of God must be made smooth for us to travel in safety. Otherwise, if the road is rough, some may become wearied and get tired and not reach their destination. Hence, quality preparation is essential. We prepare and decorate not only our homes and surroundings, but more importantly, our hearts.

Why do we need Advent when we are reminded to live in Christ and for Christ. We are human being, weak people and prone to fall and fail. We need to be reminded of the dangers of life, but more importantly, we need to be reminded of our true home and how to prepare for it. The coming of Jesus is thus a great opportunity to get ready. A person that still cheats his customers needs Jesus and advent warns him that the coming of Christ may meet him not ready. The husband that fights, beats, and batters the wife needs Christ in his life and unless he repents now, the coming of Jesus may find him not ready. The students that disrupts class activities and cheats during exam has hardly encounter Christ and needs to open his or her health for the Lord of Glory to enter and transform him or her. Pastors who preach only material salvation to the detriment of the souls of his members is walking in the valley of darkness and needs to remove these obstacles for Christ to find smooth passage. There are dangers lurking around, and we need God with us to escape the onslaught.

Consequently, Advent is for every one of us. Anyone who claim to know God and wants to follow Christ faithfully ought to thank God for the season of Advent and make good use of it by purifying himself or herself and living in hope through fervent prayers and works of mercy. Indeed, at Advent, let us call with all our hearts, “Come, Lord Jesus,” “Come Lord, do not delay.” Night is falling, pain is spreading, hope is dying, faith is missing, and love is scarce! “Come Lord and save us.”