Well not quite; in fact, Advent is quite the opposite. Instead of speeding up, it is about putting the brakes on, slowing down and taking time to examine ourselves and to reappraise our relationship with God.

Imagine a time when you absolutely needed to be somewhere in 10 minutes and you realize that you have just enough time to get there. How do you feel as you sit at a stoplight waiting for it to turn green? Are you anxious, nervous, impatient, hopeful? Are you anticipating the change, eager to get going again? Are you worried that you will miss your appointment; that you will arrive too late?

Well, welcome to Advent, a time of anticipation, waiting, hope, and longing. Advent means “Coming” and is a time when we should be preparing ourselves for the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. But Jesus was born, lived, and died for us over 2000 years ago, so just where is all that anticipation, waiting, hope, and longing supposed come from? How can we anticipate or long for an event that has already happened? It just doesn’t make sense—or does it?

In order to understand and celebrate Advent we must first determine what the “coming” event is. And there are three ways that Jesus Christ comes to us; three comings of Jesus: past, present, and future, or as Archbishop Timothy Dolan writes “Our Lord comes to us in history, mystery, and majesty.”

The first coming is history, the past, when Jesus was born in Bethlehem (Christmas.) The second is in the present when He comes to us through the mysteries of prayer, grace, word, and sacrament. And the third coming of Christ will be at the end of time when Christ will come in majesty to  judge the living and the dead.

Three comings of Jesus and one Advent to prepare ourselves for all three. I’ll talk more about each of the comings of Christ over the next few weeks.