Advent.
A time of waiting for “the blessed hope and the coming of our Savior, Jesus Christ” is the way the new translation of the Roman Missal puts it. Sounds great, but what does this really mean? “Blessed hope” for what, exactly? And what will the coming of Christ mean THIS year? If these words are to have any meaning beyond being part of a new liturgical ritual, it seems to me we have to make them truly incarnate, to “flesh them out” a bit.
Advent.
I’ve been doing a lot of praying and reflecting about life this Advent, trying to figure some things out. The older I get the more comfort I find in the words of St. Peter on Pentecost. The people of Jerusalem, hearing the apostles speaking in tongues under the influence of the Holy Spirit, think that they are instead under the influence of new wine. “But Peter, standing with the eleven, raised his voice and addressed them: ‘Men of Judea and all who live in Jerusalem, let this be known to you, and listen to what I say. Indeed, these men are not drunk, as you suppose, for it is only nine o’clock in the morning.
Continue reading Deacon William T. Ditewig’s ‘An old man’s Advent dream for Christmas‘.
Image: The Prayer Book Guide to Christian Education
Deacon William T. Ditewig, Ph.D. was ordained a deacon of the Archdiocese of Washington, DC in 1990. His blog is called ‘Deacons Today: Dalmatics and Beyond’.