Each of us is a continuous story of Advent

In many ways, today’s world is “opaque.”  Our society and culture — our education, politics, work and professions, science, economics, and arts, and even our everyday schedules—often make it difficult for us to “see” and experience God. Yet, especially in this season of Advent, we can find ways to make the world more transparent, to see light in today’s darkness — to “see” and experience God.

The 21st century creation story tells us that the universe was dark and chaotic in the first moments after God created it. Then God entered the universe, making it the sacred union of divinity and creation, i.e., the universal, cosmic Christ-reality.  As the Christ- reality, the universe began to become orderly and beautiful. Sub-atomic energy particles joined together to form atoms in a union that permitted light to shine throughout the newborn cosmos. To us with eyes to see, the light that we see in the night sky and in our own days is the result of God’s presence. It is the light of creation shining as the cosmic Christ-reality, the light that formed the universe’s first Advent dawning of Christmas-to-come.

The new creation story also tells us that our bodies are made of the energy that came from a star that exploded 5 billion years ago. Energy itself it hard to imagine, so let’s imagine that energy as light. Imagine every one of the trillions of atoms that form our body to be aglow with the light of life itself. Now imagine that within our glowing atoms there is another light, brighter and purer than our own light. That is the light of God’s presence within us, making each one of us an expression of the universal Christ-reality. And at every point where the light of God’s presence touches us, in the core of our every atom, that touch is immaculate.

As our inner light works its way outward in our everyday lives and into today’s society and culture, it tends to fade and become dim. But it is never extinguished. Even if we sin, the light within us continues to glow, calling us to repentance and rebirth into new, shining life. God within us is ever calling us to spiritual growth and maturity in his creative, healing and world-transforming light. As we mature, God moves us to go beyond making decisions between good and evil, to making decisions between good and better. Each of us is a continuous story of Advent, as God calls us forward to Christmas — and beyond through Good Friday to Easter and Pentecost.

Along with us, our society and culture, which are expressions of ourselves, are being called forward to Christmas and beyond. Our politics and economics are made of light, within which a greater, brighter and purer light is shining. Our school and universities, public and religious, our sciences, work and professions, the arts, are also all made of light within which a greater light shines. And as dark as some of these enterprises may become at times, their light never goes out. We do not have to bring Christ to our society and culture; Christ is already there, even in their darkest moments, calling to us with an Advent cry as he waits to be born anew in Christmas wonder, joy,  peace and love, through the efforts of our everyday spiritual lives.

Advent, then, is a call to renewed imagination, intention and commitment. Christ is calling us to look at today’s society and culture with renewed imagination, to see the galaxies of possibilities that are shining within today’s world. We will, of course, also see the frenzied shallowness and self-serving greed that are blocking the light of Christ in our society and culture, diminishing their possibilities to become more creatively alive and productive, more reconciling, fair, peaceful and loving — in sum, more grace-filled and luminously human.

We will see these possibilities and obstacles as challenges to us to become more spiritually mature so we can engage our society and culture more effectively. Our faith tells us that we are spiritually empowered and responsible to elevate and where necessary, correct today’s society and culture.  Advent calls us to renew our intention, by joining our ideas and plans with those of like-minded people, and our commitment by getting involved, along with all others of good will, to help make today’s world more what God intends it to be — more the glorious expression of his creation, more the wondrous fulfillment of Advent.

Anthony T. Massimini of Woolwich holds a doctorate in spiritual theology. He can be reached at massimini7@gmail.com