The liturgical season of Advent began this Sunday. The four weeks it encompasses represent how God will bring the light of the world, Jesus, into being at his birth. But what is Advent all about?

I was able to ask Sr. Katie, one of our theology teachers, about Advent, what it means, and how we can interpret it, especially this year.

Advent is a very significant season. Sister Katie said that it’s purpose was to “draw our minds and hears back to what is most important,” which is the birth of Christ, something that changed the course of human history.

She added that this special season gives us all the chance to pause and take a step back to appreciate how awesome it is that God came to live amongst us as a real human person who loved and knew us so well.

Of course, doing this may be difficult, especially during a pandemic. Sr. Katie remarked that this experience might actually push us to experience advent in an even more profound way.

“Advent is about waiting, but with hopeful expectation. We are certainly in a mode of waiting right now, waiting for life to go back to normal..for a vaccine.. lots of waiting,” she said, adding that Advent can help us learn to wait with hope.

“It can help us to accept that we are a mess, that we are broken, that we need to be saved,” Sr. Katie continued. She noted that we should not let this get us down, because Advent reminds us that Jesus will save us and “it will be awesome.”

Normally during Advent, people make the special event wreath consisting of three purple and one pink candle. Sr. Katie suggested making a prayer space or a picture of a manger in your room.

“The idea is to see it and focus your mind back on the coming of Christ,” she recommended.

Another thing she suggested was to pray for at least five minutes a day, and add on to it while setting reminders to keep it consistent. She says doing this, you’ll notice a change in your level of anxiety and an improved relationship with God.

All in all, Advent is a preparation for Jesus. By “clearing out whatever is holding us” from him, we can prepare to meet him and accept him into our lives.

With this background, hopefully this Advent will be a season of change and growth for all of us. Let’s all have a good one!