Three Advent saints speak to me in a special way: Andrew, Mary, and John the Baptist.
St. Andrew, whose feast is November 30, brought his brother, Peter, to Jesus. How richly blessed the faith and the church have been for all these centuries simply because one brother shared his faith in Jesus with another brother.
Then there is Mary. After the angel’s announcement that she was to be the Mother of God, Mary could have just stayed where she was, content to contemplate the joy and wonder of the divine babe within her. Instead, she ran to the home of her older cousin Elizabeth to be with her and help her during what must have been a difficult pregnancy, birth, and first months of new life. In doing this, Mary has taught us that simple, loving human kindness is enough to bring Jesus to others. This means that the good news of Jesus can be just as effectively preached and proclaimed in the nooks and crannies of our daily lives with one another as from the Church’s pulpit. Our Salesian saints have laid hold to that truth, assuring us that “little things done with love are great indeed in the eyes of God.”
Finally, there is John the Baptist. His contemporaries were captivated by this eccentric man who lived in the desert, dressed in camel’s hair, and ate locusts and wild honey. They flocked to him, eager to hear his challenging word. John could have easily held the spotlight on himself. But he knew his place. His was the voice, not the Word. He announced and prepared the way, but he was not the Way. This great and humble man smoothed the path for others to meet Jesus and, in doing so, to encounter the forgiving grace and compassionate love of the Messiah!
Andrew brought his brother Peter to Jesus. Mary brought Jesus to Elizabeth. The Baptist prepared the way for others to meet the long-awaited Messiah. These Advent saints tell us what we ought to be about during this Holy Season.
May their example prompt us to help others to find Jesus or to rediscover him. Andrew shows us that family members can be especially instrumental in bringing one another to Jesus. And the beautiful example of Mary’s visitation assures us that Jesus is preached, not only in words but also, and most often, by simple acts of love, kindness, and care for one another. The great Baptist underscores for us the importance of humility. Only Jesus saves. Therefore, we need to prepare the way and then –in the words of Venerable Mary de Sales Chappuis—“get out of the way” so that others might find their way to Jesus and, in him, find what we have found: faith that saves.
Don’t let this Advent slip by without seeing in Andrew, Mary, and John saints to admire and, most especially, to imitate. What a great way to prepare spiritually for Christmas!
Rev. Lewis S. Fiorelli, OSFS
Provincial
Wilmington-Philadelphia Province
