Today the Church begins a new liturgical year, a journey that is further enriched by the Year of Faith, 50 years after the opening of the Second Vatican Ecumenical Council. The first Tempo of this itinerary is Advent, formed, in the Roman Rite, by the four weeks preceding the Christmas of the Lord, that is, the mystery of the Incarnation. The word 'Advent' means 'coming' or 'presence'. In the ancient world it indicated the visit of the king or emperor to a province; in Christian language it refers to the coming of God, to his presence in the world; a mystery that envelops the cosmos and history in its entirety, but which knows two culminating moments: the first and second coming of Jesus Christ. The first is the Incarnation; the second is the glorious return at the end of time. These two moments, which chronologically are distant - and we are not given to know how far apart -, in depth touch each other, because with his death and resurrection Jesus has already achieved that transformation of man and the cosmos that is the final goal of creation. But before the end, it is necessary that the Gospel be proclaimed to all nations, says Jesus in the Gospel of St Mark (cf. Mk 13:10). The coming of the Lord continues, the world must be penetrated by his presence. And this permanent coming of the Lord in the proclamation of the Gospel continually requires our collaboration; and the Church, which is like the Betrothed, the promised Bride of the crucified and risen Lamb of God (cf. Rev 21:9), in communion with her Lord collaborates in this coming of the Lord, in which his glorious return already begins.
This is what the Word of God calls us to today, outlining the course of action to follow in order to be ready for the coming of the Lord. In the Gospel of Luke, Jesus says to the disciples: "Let not your hearts be heavy with dissipation, drunkenness, and the cares of life ... keep watch and pray at all times" (Lk 21:34, 36). Therefore, sobriety and prayer. And the Apostle Paul adds the invitation to "grow and abound in love" among ourselves and towards all, to make our hearts firm and blameless in holiness (cf. 1 Thess 3:12-13). In the midst of the upheavals of the world, or the deserts of indifference and materialism, Christians receive salvation from God and bear witness to it with a different way of living, like a city set on a mountain. "In those days," announces the prophet Jeremiah, "Jerusalem shall live quietly, and shall be called: Lord-our-justice" (33:16). The community of believers is a sign of God's love, of his righteousness that is already present and at work in history but not yet fully realised, and therefore must always be awaited, invoked, sought with patience and courage.
The Virgin Mary perfectly embodies the spirit of Advent, made up of listening to God, of a deep desire to do his will, of joyful service to one's neighbour. Let us allow ourselves to be guided by her, so that the God who comes may not find us closed or distracted, but may, in each of us, extend a little of his reign of love, justice and peace.
[Pope Benedict, Angelus 2 December 2012]
