«The best gift is that Christ comes into our history»: The Church begins Advent and Cycle A
With the celebration of this Sunday, the Catholic Church officially opens the new Liturgical Year and inaugurates the time of Advent 2025, a stage of spiritual preparation that this year will be marked by the readings of Cycle A (Saint Matthew).
In the midst of a world that often anticipates Christmas with a commercial approach, the liturgy invites us to pause and remember the profound meaning of these four weeks. Friar Germán Andrés Rodríguez Herrera, OAR, a religious of our province, offers us a key reflection to understand this time: it is not just about remembering a past event, but about recognizing a living presence.
Christ: The gift that is already in our history
During his reflection for this first Sunday, Friar Germán emphasized that the essence of Christmas does not reside in the material, but in the irruption of God in the daily life of the human being.
«The best gift of all Christmas is that Christ comes into our history, is part of our life and is the Lord who comes to give us salvation and peace», he pointed out.
This vision aligns with the theology of Advent, which reminds us of the triple coming of the Lord that the Church teaches:
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Historical: His incarnation in Bethlehem (past).
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Liturgical and Spiritual: His presence today in the Eucharist and in our neighbor (present).
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Eschatological: His glorious return at the end of time (future).
Cycle A: A call to vigilance with Saint Matthew
This liturgical year that begins corresponds to Cycle A, whose protagonist in the Sunday Gospels will be Saint Matthew. Unlike other cycles, Matthew presents Jesus as the Teacher and the new Moses who comes to fulfill the Law.
For this First Sunday, the readings usually focus on vigilance. Friar Germán connects this need to be attentive with the importance of not walking alone:
«Walking with Christ is important because we know that he comes to meet us», he affirmed, emphasizing that this time fills us with hope «because we do not walk alone».
Four Sundays to renew divine filiation
Advent is structured in four Sundays, traditionally represented by the four candles of the Advent Wreath, which symbolize the light that grows as Nativity approaches.
According to the reflection of Friar Germán, this itinerary has a clear objective for the believer: «Always find from the hand of the Lord the opportunity to feel like children of God».
Key points to live this Advent
For the faithful who seek to live this time with depth, the proposal is based on three pillars mentioned in the reflection:
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Certain Hope: Faced with current difficulties, remember that «God is with his people».
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Marian Company: Live the process «from the hand of Mary, the faithful servant of the Lord».
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Community: Understand that salvation is a path that is traveled together, as a Church.
Conclusion
The beginning of this liturgical time is an invitation to awaken from the dream of routine. As Friar Germán Andrés Rodríguez Herrera, OAR, reminds us, Christ is not a distant spectator, but someone who «comes to give us salvation».
On this first Sunday of Cycle A, the invitation is to light the first candle not only in the crown, but in the heart, maintaining the certainty that God walks with us in our personal and community history.
