Franciscan Fractal: “Advent Revisited: Part 1”
Contemplating Today’s Culture through the Eyes of SS. Francis & Bonaventure
Show me your ways, O Lord,
and teach me your paths.
Lead me in your truth and teach me,
for you are the God of my salvation;
in you have I trusted all the day long. Psalm 25: 3-4
The word Advent is from the Latin adventus for “arrival.” It is associated with the four weeks prior to the celebration of Christ’s birth at Christmas. Historians have traced the first Advent celebrations to the 5th century in northern Italy. St. Francis may have been the first person to create a live nativity scene, and celebrate Christmas with farm animals in the 13th century. Advent at that time was practiced as a period of fasting, prayer, and reflection.
In the 16th century, the Advent wreath was added to the celebration by German Lutherans marking the season as one of hope. Advent calendars appeared in the 19th century, and the contemporary four-candle Advent wreath emerged in 1839 with candles representing the four Sundays of Advent with themes of hope, faith, joy, and peace. A focus on these themes allows us to prepare our hearts and minds for the gift of Christmas.
For St. Francis, Advent and Christmas were the high point of the church year, surpassing even Easter. There could be no Easter resurrection without having a God who first entered the world. The sincerity of his belief was seen in the way St. Francis interacted with the rest of the world.
It was St. Bonaventure, a student of St. Francis, who recorded St. Francis’ way-of-living and connection to the rest of the earth. His writings, based on the life of St. Francis, articulated a deeper theology than what was being promulgated by the church at that time. St. Bonaventure’s writings became the basis for an alternative, yet orthodox, theology within Christianity which is now resurfacing as a way to address contemporary issues.
You might ask, “What does this alternative theology have to do with Advent, and how does this relate to me?” In order to see how you and I exist in this world, it is important that we are willing to back up and see the larger context in which we exist – especially in relationship to the church and its historical teachings.
One way to view Advent and the appearance of Jesus in the manger is to acknowledge that Jesus came to save us from our sins. So far, so good. However, the question then becomes, why did we need to be saved? The traditional response is that we did not live up to God’s commandments. This started with Adam and Eve disobeying God in the Garden of Eden. The consequence is that we, like Adam and Eve, will be punished. We will not go to heaven and we risk being separated from God forever (i.e., hell). Yet, who is the only person who has the power to judge us and send us to hell? Answer: God the Father who is displeased with sin. Why then did God send Jesus? Answer: In order to bear our sins, die, and pay the price for our disobedience of not perfectly living according to God’s commandments.
The question quickly arises, if God demands a payment for sin and the Son is sacrificed as a payment, what does that make God? Answer: A just punisher? However, all of Scripture refers to the truth that GOD IS LOVE. (I John 4:7-8) How does a God of love punish by condemning one’s own Son to death, namely Jesus? The only real option for a God who is only love is to love MORE. (And, beyond the concept of being a punisher, even seeing God as one who delivers “justice” does not mean God delivers “retribution.” Justice from God is always “restorative” making everyone affected in an act against God and neighbor whole again.)
How does this work with your traditional beliefs about Advent and the birth of Christ in Bethlehem? Why did Jesus come to earth? When did Christ actually come? Did Christ come or exist before Jesus? Are Jesus and Christ the same person? If so, did we miss recognizing Christ and perhaps the real meaning of Christmas? And, what about God? Is an all-loving God a justice-seeking punisher?
These are the questions to ponder during this year’s Advent Season. Next week’s Franciscan Fractal, “Advent Revisited: Part II” will attempt to address some of these questions by using the long-forgotten theology of St. Francis and St. Bonaventure.
May this Advent be one in which we all grow in depth of understanding and in our faith in a gracious and all loving God.
Prayers and Blessings,
Fr. John
