Protruding out of the jungle, on a cliff above the Caribbean Sea, lies the ancient walled Mayan City of Tulum. Because of it’s location on Mexico’s Yucatan Peninsula, the people of Tulum were the first to see the sunrise each day. In fact, the original name of the city (Zama) simply means… dawn.
Since ancient times man has waited for the dawn. Before electricity, or candles, or campfires, darkness was a frightful thing for humans. The darkness was fraught with danger and confusion. We huddled close… and waited for the first streaks of light in the eastern sky.
Darkness in the human experience is more than simply the absence of light. It speaks about fear, confusion, evil, and bondage. It is something every human being struggles with. Like the
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It is a time to recognize that of ourselves, we cannot escape the darkness. We recognize the power of sin and the brokenness of our fallen world. It is a time to turn from darkness and look to the light.
In the early Church, Advent was actually a penitential season, a time of fasting and penance in preparation for the great feast of Christmas. It is as if the Church wanted us to recognize our poverty so that we could appreciate and celebrate more fully the “light that has come into the world.” You will note that purple is the color of Advent, as it is in Lent.
Advent is also a time when the Church proclaims that we await the return of Christ to our world. Advent is not only a reflection of events which took place 2,000 years ago. Advent is a looking ahead to the glorious return of Jesus, when darkness at last will be completely vanquished and we shall live in eternal light!
Sadly, these reflections are lost by many…. even faithful Catholics. For so many people, Advent is simply the warm up for Christmas in our over-commercialized world, we have to take advantage of the selling power of Christmas and many stores are already displaying Christmas themes by the end of