In an effort to make the most of this holy season of Advent, we are encouraged this year to create an “Advent Way of Life.” Instead of focusing only on the Sundays leading up to Christmas or on Christmas itself, this “Advent Way of Life” is a “style” of living focused (every day) on the things that matter most. It is a lifestyle that takes no one for granted. It emphasizes hope, patient waiting, and eager expectation.
An ”Advent Way of Life” readily admits that there are always times of anxiety, but the times of anticipation and excitement are to be far more treasured. Watching for Jesus is as simple and as real as watching for someone we love to come home, never forgetting to tell them how much they mean to us and how much we care for them.
Let us pray. “Loving and gracious God, as the days grow shorter, casting long shadows, let our light shine brighter. When the tasks grow more wearisome, like filling valleys, flattening mountains, and building highways in the desert, be our strength and our hope. Come, Lord Jesus, come.”
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Advent Bonus: Today is the Feast of the Apostle St. Andrew. He was the son of Jonas and the brother of St. Peter; both were fishermen by trade. The brothers seem to have come from Bethsaida, although at the beginning of Jesus’ public life they were in Capernaum. From St. John’s Gospel (1, 40) we know that St. Andrew was a disciple of St. John the Baptist before becoming a disciple of Jesus and one of the Twelve.
As a result of St. Andrew’s first encounter with Jesus, he came to realize that He was the Messiah. He then went to tell his brother, whom he took to Jesus. In Eastern traditions, St. Andrew is called “Protokletos,” meaning the ‘first called,’ because his calling is the first mentioned in the Gospel narratives.
In all the Gospel lists of the Apostles, St. Andrew’s name is listed among the first four and the same is true in the Acts of the Apostles (1, 13). In St. John’s recounting of the story, he is specifically mentioned for his involvement in the feeding of the 5,000 (6, 8). Also in St. John’s Gospel, we see him with Philip in the episode of the Greeks who wanted to see Jesus (12, 20-26).
For more on St. Andrew: https://www.franciscanmedia.org/saint-of-the-day/saint-andrew
