Ad te Levavi animam meam; to you I have lifted up my soul. Thus the words of the introit for the first Sunday of the new liturgical year set the Advent scene. To lift up my soul differs essentially from preparing materially for Christmas. We used to describe prayer as a raising of the mind and heart – the essence of me – to God, so Advent must above all be characterised by a renewed focus on prayer; not just more prayer but a prayer which conforms me to the spirit of the season.
By beginning the year with Advent, the Church asks us to lift our eyes and, as it were, stare into the darkness and strain to glimpse a Christ we have not seen yet. The Christ of Bethlehem and Calvary now sits at the right hand of the Father. He came once in humility; he comes still in humility, his presence veiled (as well as revealed) in the signs we call sacraments.
