Advent is certainly a time to prepare for Christmas, but it is more than that. Using the Mass readings for the season, especially Isaiah and the gospels, Sr. Dianne Bergant presents scriptural passages as "snapshots of the emerging mystery of God's great love for us." The prophetic visions as well as the life and ministry of Jesus reveal God's loving concern in fascinating ways. A professor of biblical studies at Catholic Theological Union in Chicago, Bergant is well suited to draw out the significance of the scriptural passages. With her help, Advent not only prepares us to rejoice in the Nativity of Jesus, it launches us on a great adventure, namely, the realization of God's future fulfillment in our midst.