Every Advent, throughout the three-year lectionary cycle, we hear one of the Gospel readings that focuses on the preaching of John the Baptist, crying out in the desert. On the second Sunday of Advent, we will hear “A voice of one crying out in the desert, ‘Prepare the way of the Lord, make straight his paths’” (Matthew 3:3, Cf. Isaiah 40:3). How do we prepare the way of the Lord? How do we make straight His paths? First and foremost, we prepare by way of our own conversion and sanctification. In turn, as evangelists, we help others prepare by evangelizing those we encounter and ministering to them.
Advent as a Season of Repentance and Preparation
The word “advent” comes from the Latin adventus, which means “coming” or “arrival”. Throughout these 3.5 weeks of Advent, we anticipate and prepare for Christ’s coming in a threefold way:
- The historical coming of Jesus as a baby in Bethlehem.
- The Second Coming of Christ at the end of time to judge the living and the dead.
- The coming of Christ into our hearts through grace and the Sacraments.
Most people are very familiar with the first point, but how often do we, even as devout Catholics and evangelists, think about the Second Coming? Much less, what about the average person, who does not practice any faith? As for the third point, people who have been away from the Church likely do not think about sacramental grace and their own personal conversion of heart.
There are four themes for Advent, one for each Sunday of the season. Think of how you can focus on these themes and apply them during your evangelization:
- Hope – Reflecting on the hope of Christ’s coming, past and future, and God’s promises of redemption.
- Peace – Embracing the peace that Christ brings into the world and seeking peace within our hearts and relationships.
- Joy – Rejoicing in the anticipation of Jesus’ arrival, especially celebrated on the third Sunday of Advent, Gaudete Sunday.
- Love – Remembering God’s love for humanity in sending his Son and reflecting that love to others.
(Source: What Are the 4 Advent Themes? – Ascension)
Take Advantage of Advent
If you’re like me and you live in a colder climate, you may have limited opportunities to do street evangelization during Advent. In cold weather, fewer people are spending time outdoors and they are outside for shorter periods of time. My usual routine of evangelizing at parks, farmers’ markets, and summer festivals is on hold for a few months. However, there are some notable exceptions to that rule. You might consider evangelizing at a Christmas market, outside of an ice rink, near a sledding hill, before and/or after a Christmas concert, etc. For example, my city has a huge Christmas tree lighting ceremony which draws thousands of people. We also have an ice rink which attracts hundreds of skaters every day. Likewise, many parishes host Christmas concerts and seasonal events that draw many people from outside of the parish. It may be wise to take advantage of rare opportunities such as these.
Likewise, staff at SPSE have prepared an Advent calendar with daily suggestions for pre-evangelization and direct evangelization throughout the season. We call it, “Adventageous.” This calendar includes simple, easy actions such as writing a Christmas card, sharing a Scripture verse, or inviting someone to Christmas Mass. It also makes note of special things to do on particular feast days, e.g. St. Nicholas (Dec. 7), Our Lady of Guadalupe (Dec.12), and Gaudete Sunday (Dec. 14). To see the full calendar, visit our website at streetevangelization.com/adventageous/. It’s easy to print the calendar and post it as a daily reminder. We hope that you commit to it by registering as well!
Every day, you can and should do something simple to encourage someone, to lead them closer to God and His Church, and build up the Kingdom of God. As an added incentive, a select group of registered Adventageous participants will receive Christmas gifts and prizes for the best evangelization stories. Countless people have been away from church, away from the sacraments, and may be on the fence about returning to church this season. Your witness and your invitation may be exactly what they need to get over that final hurdle.