Advent season in the midst of slowing Pandemic

The coming Sunday will be the first Sunday of the advent which will lead us up to the celebration of Christmas. During these four weeks of advent, we will be preparing our hearts and minds in anticipation of the coming of the Lord in our hearts, lives, families and nations in this great crisis of Covid – 19. Today there is an intense longing for the Lord’s coming into the world to overcome this crisis which has paralyzed all of us in every field. We are all waiting with hope in this weary world which for last two years has really suffered too much. Everything seems to be affected including spiritual lives of the people. All of us are waiting for a new and glorious morning to break into this covid affected lives of ours. The expectations of each one of us are very high as we are battling with the virus and finding ways to beat it with vaccines.

We all know that this pandemic has taught us many lessons especially spiritual ones and these two years have been years of learning and realizing that we cannot be gods and take the place of God. The spiritual lessons have been to see the Lord Jesus in other suffering human being, providing care and concern, food and shelter, looking after the needs of the orphans who lost their beloved ones in this pandemic. Churches and individuals have opened many social centers where they care for the affected ones and provide relief to all men and wone.

As Christians prepare anew to celebrate the Incarnation, when “the Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us,” revisiting early Church history offers a reminder of the devotion to the common good that Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection can inspire. There have been many plagues and pandemics in the world and the church and Christians have given fitting reply inspired by the life of Jesus our savior.

The global pandemic and new limits on daily activities present a special time for renewal of faith and the opportunity to deepen appreciation for Jesus in daily life. During the pandemic many separated from each other due to travel restrictions, so advent would be a wonderful opportunity to recognize how the birth of the savior changed the world and each one of us. So the responsibility and mission of each one of us is to be messenger of peace and joy in the this troubled times and crisis. Advent is a time to reflect, at time of quieting, a time of stillness, to make room for Christ in our daily lives. It is a time to light the advent candles and wreath and gathering to reflect in front of a Nativity scene to nurture our faith as we look forward the great feast of the incarnation, the son of God becoming one of us. Advent is a time to experience the loving presence of God in a fresh and profound way even amidst the pandemic. During advent let us prepare our hearts and families to receive the beloved son of God again.