We have entered the liturgical season of Advent. A little disclaimer, Advent had little significance for me most of my life, but it the last decade it has become a time of deeper reflection and opportunity for spiritual growth.
I grew up Christian, but not in the Catholic tradition, and like many people, I followed the secular liturgy, going directly from Thanksgiving to Christmas. Nothing called me to take pause and prepare for the birth of Christ. There was shopping, decorating, and even trying to shed a few pounds from Thanksgiving before I would add more at Christmas. The parties and the snacking of my favorite treats did not help me reach my goal. Observing a season of waiting and expectation was lost on me.
The Church, led by the Holy Spirit, recognized early on (in the fifth century) the need to take the focus off the daily grind, whether positive or negative. There is more to life than what we see right now. Advent helps us to tap the brakes and not rush into Christmas. We take pause to remember the centuries of faithful people who waited for Christ to come (see Hebrews 11). For us he has come. For us he will come again, and so like the ancient faithful, we wait. When he comes again, we must be ready. Jesus tells us not to let our hearts be weighed down with dissipation (wasting extravagantly) and drunkenness (we know what that is) and the cares of this life (Luke 21:34, today’s Gospel reading).
What does this have to do with evangelization, you ask? This week I stopped to get my usual cup of coffee. The person who assisted me has become my friend. As we exchanged pleasantries, she told me about her weekend shopping experience—trying to buy gifts with empty shelves in the store and long lines of people trying to buy the little that was there. I empathized with her as I thought about my pre-Advent life. It wasn’t time to lecture her about misplaced priorities or the commercialization of Christmas. I was to be a messenger of “good news”—the euangelion (Greek, from which we get the word evangelization).
The Holy Spirit confirmed to my heart that I should share good news with her. Not that she could find plenty of pre-owned gifts at St. Vinny’s, although that is true. It was sufficient to share with her that God oversees all things, and we can place our hope and trust in him. She readily agreed that that was good news indeed!