I was reflecting on the Church’s liturgical year and trying to understand how it fits together. How does one season flow into the next? What is the overall direction of the liturgical year as it guides the people of the Church? Below are some tentative reflections.
1. Advent is the season when we reflect on the coming of God into our world (the Messiah, the Son of God). We are invited to prepare ourselves to recognize God’s coming – to be sensitive to God’s presence. In fact, God is already with us and around us, but we need to renew our awareness of the reality of the Sacred in our world and in our lives. God has emptied himself of glory and has humbly entered us and creation. Advent encourages us to open our eyes and look around, and try to recognize the hint of God’s presence.
2. Christmas celebrates the coming of God into humanity – God has become incarnate. We have prepared ourselves to recognize this presence in all creation and the cosmos; now we find God in the human, in the tiny newborn child of Jesus. In fact, we can find God present in all humanity. Mary, who gave birth to God in the humanity of her son Jesus, also carried God in her humanity.
3. Epiphany is the revealing to all people of the world, not just the Jews, God’s presence in humanity. The magi, these wise men of the Zoroastrian religion of Persia, represented all people of the world. They had found God’s presence in the universe, in the movement of the stars, and most probably found God’s reflection in all creation. Now they were invited to discover God present in humanity, even in the infant Jesus. God, who can be found in creation and in the universe, can now be found in the human.
4. Ordinary time represents most of human life. John the Baptist calls others (and us) – “There is the Lamb of God.” Jesus asks, “What are you looking for?” We respond, “Where do you live?” And Jesus responds, “Come and see.” God’s Word made flesh invites us to journey with him through the course of our lives. Along the way we discover where he lives, who he is, and how we are to live. This becomes an experiential knowing, not just an intellectual knowing. The liturgical cycle repeats itself year after year, and each year the invitation is renewed – “Come and see.”
a. During his short life, Jesus dedicated his life to reconcile and bring wholeness to people in Galilee. With love and compassion, he tried to weave a heart connection between people of all classes and cultures. But ultimately his attempts were rejected.
b. During our lives, as Church people continuing the presence of Christ in the world, we also dedicate ourselves to building heart bridges between people of all different backgrounds. As we do so, we cannot always expect success. Yet we trust God will always be faithful to us and bring new life from our efforts.
5. Holy Week reflects on Jesus emptying himself out upon the cross in love for people. The way to healing and reconciliation is self-emptying love for others. We, who want to see where he lives and what he is about, follow to experience in our own lives where he lives. We too at times will be invited to walk the “paschal journey” of emptying ourselves out in love for others and for the world. Ultimately, this will happen at the end of our lives.
6. Easter shows us where Jesus finally lives – he lives in his humanity as the Risen Christ in the eternal embrace of God’s love, present throughout creation. God who has entered the universe, into creation, and into humanity, points out to us our ultimate dwelling. We will be resurrected into oneness with God we call Trinity. We will be joined to the fullness of Christ, as God draws all humanity and the entire universe into God’s very self, accomplishing his dream for creation.