Advent

This Advent, unlike any other in our lifetime, we find ourselves betwixt and between.

We are betwixt and between Iife as we knew it pre-COVID-19, and life as we hope to know it post vaccine. We are betwixt and between living with the cautions that advise us to not move about, to not travel, and to not gather, and living with the freedom to move about, to travel, and to gather.

For most of us this period of being betwixt and between has proven to be painful. It has meant waiting in the midst of days that are chaotic, disordered and unpredictable. We are, after all, creatures of habit and of comfort. We order our daily agendas in ways that protect us from the unknown. We program our GPS in order to avoid the risks of wandering off the beaten path. We surround ourselves with people who make us feel safe. We create for ourselves the illusion of being in control, of ordering our lives to be predictable. But nothing amazing or wonderful generally emerges from business as usual.

Waiting, while painful, can also bring newness-new perspectives, new ideas, and new ways of being. Consider the new perspectives we’ve gained about ourselves, about each other, and about society over the past year. Consider the new ideas that have been born in medicine, in science, and in technology. Consider the new ways of being students, teachers, workers, advocates, neighbors, community and church that have taken place since the pandemic began.

Waiting and the newness that comes as a result is what Advent is all about. In Advent, we are betwixt and between the coming of Christ in history and the coming of Christ at the end of time. In Advent, we are betwixt and between the season of Ordinary Time and the season of Christmas. While much of society would prefer to rush into Christmas, the Church encourages us to embrace the waiting so that we can experience newness-new perspectives, new ideas, and new ways of being. We are called to wait this Advent and to endure the pandemic as people of hope, to trust that all times and seasons are in the hands of a God who loves us more than we can imagine.