by Fr. Tommy Lane
I like the Collect for today’s Mass:
Keep us alert, we
pray, O Lord our God,
as we await the advent of Christ your Son,
so that, when he comes and knocks,
he may find us watchful in
prayer
and exultant in his praise.
(Collect First Week of
Advent, Monday)
It describes beautifully our program for Advent: be watchful in prayer and exultant in praise of God while we await the advent of Jesus; be watchful in prayer and exultant in praise while we await Jesus to come and knock. That image of waiting for Jesus to knock on our doors is beautiful. It has inspired many beautiful pieces of artwork. Jesus is outside the door, and we are inside, and it is up to us to open the door to let Jesus in. (See Rev 3:20)
Yesterday’s Collect was also equally beautiful and inspiring in its description of Advent:
Grant your faithful,
we pray, almighty God,
the resolve to run forth to meet your
Christ
with righteous deeds at his coming,
so that, gathered
at his right hand,
they may be worthy to possess the heavenly
Kingdom.
(Collect First Sunday of Advent)
What a beautiful image for Advent: having the resolve to run forth to meet Jesus with righteous deeds so that we may be worthy to possess the heavenly kingdom. We are not to remain static; we are not to stand still. We are to run forth to meet Jesus, to run to Jesus. The goal and destination is Jesus. And we are not to run to Jesus with empty hands but run to Jesus with hands full, with righteous deeds. As we begin Advent, these two beautiful collects are like guides pointing out our way through Advent. The texts of these two collects could be the subject of our lectio and give much nourishment to our prayer.
There is one person above all who fully lived these Collects—Our Lady. As Our Lady carried Jesus in her womb during the first Advent, she was watchful in prayer and exultant in praise as we see in her Magnificat (Luke 1:46-55), and carrying Jesus in her womb was the supreme righteous deed. We honor Our Lady in May, but Advent is also her time (as we see in the Advent Rorate Masses in honor of Our Lady). We ask her intercession that God may grant us the grace he intends for us this Advent—to be watchful in prayer and exultant in praise while we run forth with righteous deeds awaiting Jesus to come and knock.
© Fr. Tommy Lane 2024