Preparing for the Seasons of Advent and Christmas
"PREPARE TO RECEIVE AND SEE THE LIGHT"
The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light;
those who lived in a land of deep darkness–on them light has shined”
(Isaiah 9:2)
Advent begins on Sunday, November 27 and ends on the Christmas Vigil, December 24.
How are you preparing for Advent and Christmas?
During this Advent season, we are called to prepare our hearts and minds to reflect on and to celebrate the anniversary of the birth of our Lord on Christmas, and our longing and hope for the continual coming of Christ into our minds, hearts, and lives now and at the end of time. The liturgical readings during Advent "call us to be alert and ready, not weighted down and distracted by the cares of the world" (USCCB). Unfortunately, the frantic hustle and bustle to purchase and do things in hope of having “Happy Holidays” often distracts us from this preparation, and from the true meaning and purpose of the Advent and Christmas Seasons.
Christ wishes to continuously dwell in our hearts and minds, and to permeate our entire being. “Listen! I am standing at the door, knocking; if you hear my voice and open the door, I will come in to you and eat with you, and you with me” (Rev. 3:20) Therefore, we are called to open our minds and hearts to allow God, through the indwelling Spirit, to become the focal point and guiding Light of our lives.
The Light of Christ is always present and, although we don’t always see it, this Light will never be extinguished. As John’s Gospel says, “the light shines on inside of the darkness, and the darkness will not over-come it” (1:5).
We are called and invited to acknowledge, accept, and share that Jesus Christ is the “light of the world” and “Whoever follows [Christ] will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life” (Jn 8:12).
To begin to do this, we are called to clear out the clutter of our egoistic thoughts, desires, habits, and actions that prevent us from loving, seeing, and experiencing the presence of the Light of Christ within us and within one another, such as: our pride or need for self-importance; our attachment to our possessions; when we have allowed “things” to become more important than people; our desire for control of persons or events; our harboring of grudges or our refusal to forgive others who have caused us offense; our inability to let go of our own previously acknowledged and forgiven sins; or in our ignoring or failing to respond in love to the needs of others, especially the poor and marginalized among us.
Spend time during these Advent and Christmas seasons to examine and reflect on your thoughts, desires, habits and actions of your life. Are they centered on God, or on something else? Do they move you towards the Light of Christ’s love and salvation for yourself and others, or do they try to keep you hidden in the darkness, fearful of being exposed by the Light of Christ.
Let go of the darknesses of your life and open up the door to your mind and heart to let the Light of Christ shine in and through you by the power of the indwelling Spirit.
During Advent, churches and many families display an "Advent Wreath," consisting of evergreens arranged in a circle, with three purple (violet) and one pink (rose) candle evenly placed around the top of the wreath. One purple candle is lit the first week of Advent, two purple candles the second week, the pink candle and the two purple candles are lit the third week, and all four candles are lit the fourth week of Advent. The increasing light symbolizes the approach of the birth of Christ on Christmas, who is the light of the world. Some wreaths also have a white candle in the middle that is lit on Christmas Eve or Day, to symbolize the birth of Christ. Traditionally, the first purple candle lit is called the "Prophet's" candle, symbolizing Hope. The second purple candle lit is called the "Bethlehem" candle, symbolizing Faith. The third rose candle lit is called the "Shepherd's" candle, symbolizing Joy. Finally, the fourth purple candle lit is called the "Angel's" candle, symbolizing Peace. Here is a link to a Blessing of an Advent Wreath (USCCB).
Advent is also the beginning of the Church's new liturgical year and a new cycle of readings from the Lectionary for Mass. The First Sunday of Advent begins Cycle "A," whereby most of the Gospel readings for Sundays will be from the Gospel of Matthew. The liturgical color for the Season of Advent is usually purple (violet), symbolizing preparation, penance and sacrifice, except for the Third Sunday of Advent (Gaudette Sunday, December 11, from the Latin word meaning "rejoice"), when the color of rose (pink) is displayed. The colors for Christmas are either gold or white.
For each Sunday during Advent, we will post links to the Daily Readings for that Sunday, a Commentary on these readings from the "Living Word," some videos, and a short reflection.
For more information and resources for Advent, please view the page "Advent and Christmas Resources 2022," under the "Links to Resources" section located on the top left-side column of this blog, providing links to a variety of websites, articles, videos, music, and other resources to help you better understand and prepare for Advent and Christmas.