Tuesday, December 01, 2009

"Adlent"

My youngest daughter kept accidentally saying it was finally Lent on Saturday, when she meant Advent.

However, all the good sources on the meaning of Advent reveal that it is more Lenten in nature than we typically think.

We are called to prepare ourselves for Christ's coming, and this involves reflection and purification.

The linking of Christ's First Coming and his Second Coming makes this pretty explicit. This theme is heavily emphasized in all the Advent devotions we do as a family.

We might think of a more general theme called "Adlent" to remind us that though this is an exciting time of hopeful watching, we should be motivated to be found laboring in the field on Christmas day, just as we will on the Last Day.