“In the beginning was the Word and the Word was with God and the Word was God. Through him was the life and this life was the light of the human race”(Jn 1: 1.4) The Christian continually awaits the Coming. The Advent! Christ bursts in the life of man and marks it. The life of the spiritual man, of the man of God, is articulated by continuous “comings”, by the continuous visits of God inside of Him, that leave him enriched and charmed.
The liturgical Advent celebrates the Incarnation of the Son: the first visit of God as man to humanity. But it celebrates also all those visits that every man, in the course of his life, receives from God. How many “comings” each of us can celebrate!
That, for example, of the first time in which we have felt belief inside of ourselves; that of our conversion from the lack of religious practice; that in which we succeeded to win over our selfishness and we began to love more and better our husband or our wife, a classmate or a colleague at work, …; that in which, after much prayers to the Master, we won over our anger toward the bad temper of a relative, of a friend, or simply, our neighbors!
But the Advent that we celebrate with more delight and thankfulness is that in which the Master makes grow in us the faith in Him and feel His love for us!
The Advent, therefore, is the moment in which God is praised and blessed for all the times in which he walks toward us… to meet us! God is like the “light”: or rather, He is The Light. We read in the Gospel of John: “I am the light of the world; whoever follows me, will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.” (Jn 8:12) Since eternity, God has always been walking to reach man, to meet him and to astonish him. But… “God does not illuminate those who do not search for him”. This is the answer that a girl gave to her teacher as he said: “I’m waiting for God to make me a believer”, although in reality, she wasn’t interested at all that it might happen. The light of God cannot reach humanity if man doesn’t look for Him, if he doesn’t follow His footprints. In order for God and man to meet, they need to travel on the same path.
Do you want to start walking toward the “light”? Like Job, are you asking yourself: “Which is the way to the dwelling place of light?” (Jb 38:19) Do you want to see God? Then, imitate the Magi! How? Do something in order to have a great desire to see the light. Leave behind all that is less important: honors, conveniences, habits, comfort zone… and “hit the road!” Don’t let numbness paralyze you, but leave your “homeland” (your house) and search out the places where you are able to hear someone talking about God (your parish, for example) and search also for the “star” that can help you to walk the walk (your spiritual director). Always carry with you gold, (perseverance), incense (desire), and myrrh (prudence).
Be perseverant in your walk, otherwise you could arrive late to the place of the appointment, and the light already could have disappeared.. As someone who wants to be a pianist will not become one if he practices only when the time or situation is perfect, likewise you will not ever see the light if you don’t give a dedication and rhythm to your spiritual commitments. Nourish your steadfastness with the desire that, as the incense raises up to God, so it overwhelms your soul and gives it strength for the journey. The desire is fruit of a noble spirit, of pure feelings that allow the heart to aspire to the “higher” things. You also need to be prudent because many choices could take you away from the right path and you could begin to travel on some roads that will never lead you to the “light”. Do not care if people will mock you because they prefer to see you with an attractive car rather than to address you as a man with an evangelical heart. The Gospel provides you with “a hundred fold” here on earth and eternity, while the new car doesn’t.
A CCD teacher asked the children: “What lights are there in a Church? “The chandeliers”, “the candles”, “the red candle of the Tabernacle”. “Any other thing?” One child raised his hand and said: “The eyes of the people! “
