Letter from the Pastor
-
November 28, 2021Today we begin the beautiful yet often under-appreciated season of Advent. It is a season of particular beauty. There is beauty in the hymns, and sacred chants, beauty in the poetry, beauty in the readings of Sacred Scripture especially from the prophet Isaiah, and in nature. I always talk about the “Advent sunsets,” the cold atmosphere with the setting rays of the sun’s mix to make the most beautiful sunsets of the year. And as beautiful as Advent is, it always gets lost because certain people just can’t wait until Christmas.
Each year, the “Christmas Season” starts earlier and earlier; Dracula doesn’t even have the chance to get back to his coffin, when jolly ole St. Nick arrives! By the time December 25th arrives, we are so tired of the music, the parties, the food, even the family.
Society tells us Christmas is over the night of December 25th, but Christmas day is the beginning, not the end, of the Christmas season. Sadly, I think we lost the cultural war on this one.
Advent is a very holy season, there are two emphasis of Advent: the coming of Christ at the end of the world, and then on December 17th, the immediate preparation for Christmas. We need at least spiritually to keep the season of Advent, the season of waiting.
The celebration of Advent has evolved in the spiritual life of the Church. It began in France, early on in the history of the Church. Advent was a period of preparation for the Feast of the Epiphany, a day when converts were baptized; so the Advent preparation was very similar to Lent with an emphasis on prayer and fasting which lasted three weeks and later was expanded to 40 days. In 380, the local Council of Saragossa, Spain, established a three-week fast before Epiphany. Inspired by the Lenten regulations, the local Council of Macon, France, in AD 581 designated that from Nov. 11 (the Feast of St. Martin of Tours) until Christmas, fasting would be required on Monday, Wednesday and Friday. Eventually, similar practices spread to England. In Rome, the Advent preparation did not appear until the sixth century, and was viewed as a preparation for Christmas with less of a penitential bent.
Advent comes from the Latin adventus, = coming to. We recall the ancient waiting for the Messiah, traditionally 4,000 years, and by remembering we long for His second coming. We reflect back in history as we look forward to the future.
A traditional way here in America to help us keep Advent is the Advent wreath. The use of the Advent wreathe was borrowed from German Lutherans in the early 1500s. It is made up of a circular wreath without beginning or end, made of fresh plant material and evergreens. That symbolizes Christ, who came to give us new life through His passion, death and resurrection. Four candles to represent the 4000 years of waiting of which three candles are purple, symbolizing penance, preparation, and sacrifice; and the rose candle symbolizes the Third Sunday of Advent, or Gaudete Sunday, when we rejoice because our penance is now half-way finished.
Each family ought to have an Advent wreath, light it at dinnertime, and say the special prayers. This tradition will help each family keep its focus on the true meaning of Christmas. We pray for the longing of the coming of our Lord. Spend a few minutes each day in prayer or meditation to hold on to the beauty of Advent.Happy and Holy Advent to You!
