The Advent Wreath
Today the Church lights the second of the four candles on the Advent wreath.
It is thought that the origins of the Advent wreath lie in the pagan customs of people in the far northern countries of Scandinavia customs that originated long before the birth of Christ.
Because they couldnt do farm work outdoors in the winter, people brought into their homes the wheels of their wagons, decorated them with greens, put candles on them, and hung them from the ceiling on a wire. Then they would twirl them to become a glowing prayer to the god of light in the time of winter darkness
Christians later adapted this to celebrate the coming birth of the Light of the World.
Were eight days into Advent, with 19 days left. Time to go back to November 28 and look at the plans we sketched and perhaps make some adjustments.
Advent: A Time to Reform our Lives
Why was John the Baptist so tough on the Pharisees and Sadducees who were coming forward to receive his baptism of reform? The Pharisees and the Sadducees were not evil people. They worked hard to learn the law and they were dedicated to keeping the law. They were not immoral people. They were very religious. They were not rich people at least the werent fleecing the people. And yet, John is very tough on them.
As todays Gospel reading unfolds, we discover more about why this was so. We see the picture of the Pharisees and the Sadducees and some others as people who are more or less boxed in. They were rigid and they clung to the rules and ways of stating their beliefs so much so that they were unable to catch the spirit of what they believed. Worse than that, they were unable to discover the newness because there is always newness as God continues to reveal and pour forth his Spirit. And thats what they couldnt do; they were boxed in, they were tied to the letter of the law and missed the whole spirit. They couldnt go beyond they couldnt grow they couldnt feast on the great mysteries that Jesus would preach.
We are always called upon to put ourselves into the Gospel and not simply be spectators. It is an occupational hazard of religion that we get lost in the details and miss the spirit.
During Advent, I am called upon to prepare in a special way and to reform my heart. What is some evidence in my life that I really mean to reform and truly to be the kind of person that Jesus is and that He called me to be?