Today’s commemoration of the Lord’s Baptism might be a reminder of the uneven path our own life takes, and indeed of the “jerky” course that human history takes.
In the Western church, the feast of Epiphany, originally a single celebration, eventually developed into distinct feasts – Christmas, Epiphany, and the Baptism of the Lord; each feast highlighted one aspect of the Lord’s manifestation to the world. Let’s look at them together to see what meaning they might have together as a group for us today.
This feast focuses on the holy family as a group, not as its individual members Mary, Joseph, and Jesus.
On this Fourth and last Sunday of Advent, we can ask: What have we learned during the Advent season? And we can also ask: What are we looking for at Christmas that is about to begin?
So what does Advent as a religious season mean to Christians? Its meaning is best shown by the biblical readings the Church chooses for the four Sundays in Advent.