An overview of Advent

Dec 18, 2014

By Bernard Anthony
On Dec 6, Fr Andrew Kooi, the parish priest of the Church of the Sacred Heart, gave a short Reflection on Advent to 40 pilgrims from Kuala Lumpur, after their Prayer Session at his parish.

Advent is a time of renewal, conversion and change. Advent is the beginning of the new Liturgical Year of the Church. Fr Kooi said that it is a season of spiritual preparation for us, marked by eager longing for His second coming while commemorating his birth.

Fr Kooi first explained to the pilgrims that the word Advent, or in Latin, Adventus, means “Coming” and acquired the meaning of ‘expectation.’ This preparation implies first of all, the Lord’s Birth, then the time of preparation and xpectation of, the Second Coming of Christ.

He said we must turn away from the many obstacles to spiritual growth in our lives. Advent is a time to strengthen our bonds with God and with those others that God has placed in our lives.

Touching on the Advent Liturgy, Fr Kooi said that it includes the four weeks following the Sunday of the Solemnity of Christ the King. The first Sunday of Advent is the Church’s New Year. In fact, the Sundays of Advent can be seen as a time of preparation for the Feast of the Nativity. It can be observed with prayers, meditation and fasting to prepare to welcome Christ.

There are different themes for each of the four Sundays of Advent. Fr Kooi said that the Second Sunday was Prepare the Way of the Lord. The theme for the Fourth Sunday of Advent is The Incarnation of the Word. On this, Fr Kooi suggested to the pilgrims that they need to fully understand The Liturgical Year of the Church — which includes the Ordinary Time, Seasons of Lent, Easter, Advent and Christmas. He is prepared to give a day long formation on this next year, to enhance their understanding.