In a sense, Advent is akin to wearing bifocal glasses. There’s looking down, we have the near event—the close event—of Christmas. But a different part of Advent is looking to the distance, to the second coming of Christ. The readings that are selected for the first part of Advent really are the top of the lens—looking forward to the second coming of Christ. One of the rich images that we have in scripture is that at the end of time it will be like a giant banquet—a banquet on the Holy Mountain.
Most of us have just lived through a banquet that we call Thanksgiving. There is a certain coming together and a joy with being with family. Isaiah and Matthew today both speak about being fed. “Being fed with delicious food on this Holy Mountain,” Isaiah says. In Matthew, we have the multiplication of the loaves and fishes. We as Catholics have the Eucharist as our daily meal. It really has us celebrating with Christ until He comes again.
It’s the bifocal nature of Advent.
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