Happy New Year! Here we are at the First Sunday of Advent, the Church’s New Year’s Day. What year is it? You may well ask. It’s not a number so much as it is the person to which the year belongs… Our Lord. Some now have the custom of designating a year “C.E.,” or the “Common Era.” That tells you where they are coming from. There’s nothing common about it: the year coming upon us is an uncommon year of Our Lord, A.D.

When I was a child, Advent was treated like a shorter Lent. We were expected to give something up. I gather this was deemed theologically incorrect post Vatican II, but it was the custom then and it served a purpose. Back then the great Christmas Shopping Season respectfully waited until Thanksgiving was over. So the giving up of something reminded us that our world and or lives were far from perfect and it created the miniscule longing and expectation that things would be set right at Christmas, which was for most of us Baby Boomers a genuine explosion of joy, probably for mostly the wrong reasons having to do with presents, but we did know that Jesus had something to do with it. He was the reason for both seasons, Advent and Christmas.

I particularly remember Advent Calendars. My family is German, and so the Advent Calendars were ornate imports, and were generally large pictures of a village, with the requisite 24 doors and windows to open, behind each of which was a picture of something. I don’t remember that any of those pictures were particularly religious. But I was surprised in 2011 when my cousin paid me a visit before he moved back to Texas. He presented me with a large box still in its postal wrappings from Germany. In it was the Advent Calendar of Advent Calendars. It was 5 inches deep, two feet high and 18 inches wide. The picture covering the whole front was of a nativity scene, but it was mosaic like, the picture being formed by the out-facing sides of the small drawers, 6 rows of four, and numbered. With this calendar, you opened one drawer each day, and inside each drawer was one of several different styles of lebkuchen, or ginger bread. This was the reverse of my childhood Advent practice. Here you got something each day of Advent, which is probably more theologically correct. God’s people grew during the millennia of waiting, adding to their spiritual inventory until the fullness of time, when at least some of them were ready for the ultimate Christmas gift.

So here we are in this Advent of 2022, with the world about to enter into the Year of Our Lord 2023. It’s safe to say that each of us has a special approach to take to prepare ourselves for the great event of the Incarnation, of God extending the horizon of possibility for human beings by Himself becoming a human being. Ultimately Advent and our whole life means: we must prepare ourselves to become like God. Yes, really. That’s what it all means and that’s why He did it: so we could become like God. And obviously we have a LOT of getting ready to do for that!

I like music. In 2012 I discovered a young, talented British-Ugandan musician, Michael Kiwanuka, who wrote and sings a wonderful song that says it all.

Oh my, I didn't know what it means to believe
Oh my, I didn't know what it means to believe

But if I hold on tight, is it true?
Would You take care of all that I do?
Oh Lord, I'm getting ready to believe.

Oh my, I didn't know how hard it would be
Oh my, I didn't know how hard it would be

But if I hold on tight, is it true?
Would You take care of all that I do?
Oh Lord, I'm getting ready to believe.

Happy getting ready. Remember what year it is and whose year it is. Happy Advent, and keep the faith!

Abbot Michael Brunner, O.S.B.