Advent!

I've been trying to decide whether or not I should participate in the fast of Advent. For one thing, I have always associated Advent with Christmas, and I really don't celebrate Christmas. In addition, I always, always fail at any type of fast. On the other hand, I do love Church tradition and want to be a part of the connection between the life of the ancient and modern church in this way.

I talked briefly with an online friend the other day about Advent. For the Orthodox, the Nativity Fast (pretty much the same as Advent) began already, but I think in the Catholic church it begins tomorrow. My friend is planning to fast during Advent, she'll be participating in a sun up to sun down fast for the entire length of the season.

I went to Catholic.org and got a head start on the Advent Bible readings. The first came from Romans 13:11-14, and it is pretty much a call to those who are awaiting the Messiah to repent, wake up, and begin to live a life worthy of their faith. I find it interesting that Paul wrote this with the expectation that Christ would return in his lifetime or shortly thereafter. Clearly, that didn't happen.

The purpose of Advent is to recall the period in which people awaited the Messiah before Christ's first appearance on earth. However, it also reminds us that we are waiting for the Messiah to return. St. John called people to repentance before Christ appeared the first time, and St. Paul calls his readers to repentance before Christ returns.

To be perfectly honest, I often forget that we are awaiting Christ's return! I don't forget in a way that makes me lose focus or interest in God and in the cultivation of my spirituality, but I forget in the sense that I often hear about the things going on in the world and feel that there will never be an end to the violence, hatred, and discord we seem to constantly be in.

Romans 13:11-14 was a good reminder that we are still waiting for our Messiah, He will bring an end to the drama, and if we are repentant and do our best to please God and serve others, we will eventually live in peace and union with God.

With that in mind, I've begun to see that Advent is less about "Christmas" and more about awaiting the day when this world will finally heal. I feel like that's something I could definitely participate in and attempt to fast for.