Recognizing our “Advent People,” by S. Margie Niemer, OSF

The Apparition of Christ, by Alexander Andreyevich Ivanov [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons

The holiday season is a time when most of us think of significant people in our lives.  Some are deceased, some have played a part at a particular time in our lives, some have always been a part and continue to bless us in the present.  The Advent season features accounts of the lives of people who played a role in the time leading up to the birth of Jesus: Anna & Joachim, Elizabeth and Zachary, Mary and Joseph.  Perhaps the most controversial is John the Baptist.

John lived in the desert, had no paying occupation, ate odd things, and preached to anyone who would stop to listen. His message was hard and grim, brooding and dark. His preaching could be described as a warning: repent or be lost.

But this was John’s purpose in life, the reason he was born.  His job was to close the Old Testament.  Jesus recognized this when he told the people that up to John’s time, the law and the prophets were what mattered.  With the coming of Jesus, that chapter is over and the Kingdom of God begins.

We are invited into that Kingdom as builders, not as passive bystanders.  Who has helped you become a Kingdom of God Builder?  Those people who taught and encouraged you are your Advent People.  This week, remember to pray in gratitude for them.

Margie Niemer, OSF
Leadership Council, Sisters of St. Francis, Oldenburg