Advent is the season that begins the liturgical year. It
consists of four Sundays starting with the Sunday closest to
November 30th. The word advent is derived from the Latin
adventus, which means “coming” or “arrival.” In the societies of
the Roman empire, the word adventus referred to the arrival of a
person of dignity and great power — a king, emperor, or even one
of the gods. For Christians, Advent is the time when the church
patiently prepares for the coming of the King of Kings, Jesus
Christ. On a personal spiritual level, Advent is a time when we
should long for a new breaking in of God’s Spirit upon us. Here
is a good post about the story of Advent by Rev. Donald Sensing
at Sense of Events blog. They were not a wealthy couple. They
got by all right in Nazareth because Joseph was a carpenter, a
skilled job, but he didn’t make enough money for the finer
things of life. Like everyone else in their country, Joseph and
Mary relied heavily on their extended families to help them get
through the lean times.