Most Christians think that Advent is preparation for the “birth of Jesus,” but we cannot prepare for a past event. It is also not simply the preparation for his annual “birthday.” Rather, this season is an intense rehearsal of what Christian living is supposed to be each day: paying attention to the sacred revelations and surprising Incarnations that the Holy One springs on us each day. Every day of our lives … every moment of our lives is a potential “divine ambush.” Advent is a four week intensive that each year re-certifies us … recalibrates Christians for detecting God’s unpredictable yet constant reincarnating in the world.

Fr. Edward Foley is Duns Scotus Professor of Spirituality and the founding director of the Ecumenical Doctor of Ministry Program at Catholic Theological Union in Chicago. He is a Capuchin-Franciscan and ordained Roman Catholic priest. An award winning author, he has produced more than twenty books, translated into multiple languages including From Age to Age and Mighty Stories, Dangerous Rituals with Herbert Anderson. A well-known speaker, he has taught in venues such as the University of Chicago and Notre Dame, presented in settings as diverse as the Mayo Clinic and the Houston Astro Dome, and lectured in over 60 Roman Catholic dioceses from India to the Philippines.