A different twist on Advent

We have been saying that Advent is a period of waiting for the Christ Child, while also waiting for his triumphant return to earth. So, what do we do while we wait? Here's a thought from Bernard of Clairvaux [died 1153], a reviver of Benedictine monasticism in the Cistercian Order:

We know that there are three comings of the Lord. The third lies between the other two. It is invisible, while the other two are visible. In the first coming he was seen on earth, dwelling among the people; he himself testified that they saw him and hated him. In the final coming "all flesh will see the salvation of our God," and "they will look on him whom they have pierced."

The intermediate coming is a hidden one. In his first coming our Lord came in our flesh and in our weakness; in this middle coming he comes in spirit and in power; in the final coming he will be seen in glory and majesty.

Because this coming lies between the other two, it is like a road on which we travel from the first coming to the last. In the first, Christ was our redemption; in the last, he will appear as our life; in this middle coming, he is our rest and consolation.

In case someone should think that what we say about this middle coming is sheer invention, listen to what our Lord himself says: "If anyone loves me, they will keep my word, and my Father will love them, and we will come to them." There is another passage of Scripture which reads: "Those who fear God will do good," but something further has been said about those who love, that is, that they will keep God's word. Where is God's word to be kept? Obviously in the heart, a the prophet says: "I have hidden your words in my heart, so that I may not sin against you."

Keep God's word in this way. Let it enter into your very being, let it take possession of your desires and your whole way of life. Feed on goodness, and your soul will delight in its richness. Remember to eat your bread, or your heart will wither away. Fill your soul with richness and strength.

If you keep the word of God in this way, it will also keep you. The Son with the Father will come to you. The great Prophet who will build the new Jerusalem will come, the one who makes all things new. This coming will fulfill what is written: "As we have borne the likeness of the earthly, we shall also bear the likeness of the heavenly." (Sermon 5 for Advent 1-3, published in Readings for the Daily Office from the Early Church, J. Robert Wright, 10-11)

Bernard was a pretty good preacher.


In peace,
Linda+
The Rev. Linda McCloud
Vicar, Holy Cross Church Episcopal
Billings, MT
406-208-7314
http://www.holycrosschurchbillings.org/
photo: window at noon in a Cistercian Church
Monastery of the Holy Spirit
Conyers, GA, January 2007