Advent, from a Catholic POV

[Auleliel]

Menolly has asked me to begin a thread for discussing Advent from the Catholic perspective, especially for the benefit of those who might not understand what Advent is all about. As Advent is my favorite time of year (even more than Christmas, believe it or not), I shall make an attempt to accurately present the Catholic viewpoint, even though I am rather young and still don't know everything I ought to know about it (any other Catholics out there who want to help me out are welcome to). Naturally those who are not Catholic are welcome to participate in discussion as well.

Every year my parish hands out booklets of daily reflections, called The Little Blue Book: Advent and Christmas Seasons, by Bishop Ken Untener from Saginaw, MI. This book incorporates reflections on the beginning of the Gospel of Luke with reflections on how Advent fits within our daily lives. I will most likely use this book as a reference for my comments and reflections here. If you are interested in obtaining a copy of this book, please PM me for information or check at the office of a Catholic church near you.

And now to begin.

November 29, 2009, First Sunday of Advent

Happy New Year! In Catholicism, the first Sunday of Advent marks the beginning of a new Liturgical Year, which means we will be reading a different set of Scripture readings at each Mass from the readings we did over the last year. There are three sets of Scripture passages, labelled A, B, and C, and this year is year C. Today we light the first candle of the Advent wreath.

The first day of Advent is a good time to reflect upon how we are living our lives and what we can do to improve our spiritual lives, to bring ourselves closer to God.

Advent is not simply a countdown before Christmas Day. While it fulfills that function, Advent is so much more than that. Most of the Sunday Scripture readings during Advent touch upon the end times and the Second Coming of Jesus. While we prepare to celebrate Jesus' birth, we also prepare ourselves for the final judgment and bring ourselves into a closer relationship with God. This does not mean we are waiting for the Apocalypse. Rather, we try to bring Jesus more and more into our daily lives, to promote God's Kingdom on Earth, and to remove from our lives those things which are obstacles in our relationships with God and one another.

Help me, God, during this Season of Advent. Open my mind and heart to your Spirit. Bring me into a more loving relationship with you and with all those around me. Amen

[High Lord Tolkien]

Thank you.
I was wondering what Advent was all about.

[Menolly]

*searches for the "Like" button*
...oh yeah, wrong site...

Thanks Owlie.
I am looking forward to this.

[Savor Dam]

Yes, I am also anticipating learning a lot as we embark on another serialized spiritual journey.

Thank you, Auleliel!

[Auleliel]

November 30, 2009
Monday of the First Week of Advent

I intended to come up with my own reflections for this Advent journey, but I have a migraine and can't think of anything on my own right now, so I'm pretty much going to quote the entire reflection for today from The Little Blue Book.

In the days of Herod, King of Judea, there was a priest named Zecharia of the priestly division of Abijah; his wife was from the daughters of Aaron, and her name was Elizabeth. Both were righteous in the eyes of God, observing all the commandments and ordinances of the Lord blamelessly. But they had no child because Elizabeth was barren and both were advanced in years.

Zechariah and Elizabeth were childless, which in their culture was a great misfortune, even a disgrace. One can imagine their feelings of failure and inadequacy.
All of us feel barren in one way or another. We haven't "produced" in our lives what others (or we ourselves) had hoped we would. Our failure to live up to "what might have been" leaves us with a certain empty feeling.
But God does things through us that we ourselves cannot do, or even measure. And God does them often in ways we don't understand.
That's the secret. Let God do what God wants to do through me. That is the path to greatness--no matter what my age, no matter what my condition.
O Lord, let me let you do what you want to do through me today.

One important thing to think about throughout all of Advent is how to bring our own plans and wants more in line with God's plan for us. Spend a few minutes with the Lord inviting him/her to work through you and bring that plan into action.

[Auleliel]

December 1, 2009
Tuesday of the First Week of Advent

Today's Scripture reading is Luke 1:8-15. In this passage, Zechariah the priest is told by an angel of the Lord that his wife Elizabeth (who is a cousin of Mary, Jesus' mother) will have a son, John (who later announces the coming of Jesus and baptizes Jesus). The angel tells Zechariah not to be afraid because his prayer has been heard, and he will be filled with joy.

The angel tells Zechariah that his prayer has been heard. We hadn't been told what Zechariah was praying for, but now we know. He was praying for Israel, of course, as a Jewish priest would do. But he was also praying for a child.
Sometimes we're afraid to pray for things that seem unrealistic.
Three times in the birth story we'll hear angels say, "Do not be afraid"--to Zechariah here, to Mary at the Annunciation, and to the shepherds in the field. And Jesus, in his public life, will say these same words five times.
Anything in particular I'd really like to pray for? "Do not be afraid."

One important lesson we can learn from today's Scripture passage is that we shouldn't let our fear that our requests are "too big" get in the way of making those requests and praying to God. Nothing is "too big" for God, and sometimes our requests are rewarded in bigger ways than we could have imagined. Zechariah and Elizabeth simply wanted a child, and the son God gave them became one of the great men of the New Testament (later in the Gospel of Luke, Jesus says John is "greater than anyone who has ever lived").

Petitionary prayer--prayer that asks God to grant a request of some sort--is one type of prayer that most people are quite familiar with, but it is not the only type of prayer there is. In Catholicism we regularly practice three other main types of prayer: contrition, thanksgiving, and praise. In prayers of contrition, we apologize to God for our sins, ask for his forgiveness, and ask for help in avoiding sin in the future. Prayers of thanksgiving and praise are pretty self-explanatory: we thank God for the blessings he has given us and praise him in all his wondrous majesty. All four of these types of prayer are included in the weekly and daily Masses (the Eucharist, around which the Mass is centered, derives its name from a Greek word that means thanksgiving). Three of the four categories (all except Thanksgiving) are also included in the Lord's Prayer (also called the Our Father or Paternoster), which is prayed by many Christian denominations worldwide.

Spend some quiet time with the Lord, and ask yourself: "How can I more actively include these four types of prayer in my daily life?"

[Auleliel]

December 2, 2009
Wednesday of the First Week of Advent

In today's Scripture reading, from Luke 1:15-17, an angel of the Lord speaks to Zechariah about John, the son Zechariah and Elizabeth will have.

"He will drink neither wine nor strong drink. He will be filled with the Holy Spirit even from his mother's womb, and he will turn many of the children of Israel to the Lord their God. He will go before him in the spirit and power of Elijah to turn the hearts of fathers toward children and the disobedient to the understanding of the righteous, to prepare a people fit for the Lord."

In the reference to drinking "neither wine nor strong drink," the angel is describing a "Nazarite." This is not someone from Nazareth, but a word used to designate a person set aside for the Lord's special work. (The legendary strong man Samson was a Nazarite.) The angel also likens John to Elijah, one of Israel's greatest prophets who lived around 850 B.C.
There's no doubt about it. This child is destined for greatness.
I, too, am destined for greatness. God has created me and put me on earth for a purpose. And God has sent the Spirit upon me to help me carry out the work for which I was created.
Now, honestly, do I believe that?
Do I really believe that God had something particular in mind in creating me?

Spend a few minutes with the Lord. Remember that you are destined for greatness, that God has a purpose for you. Ask God to strengthen and inspire you so that you can fulfill that great and wondrous purpose.

Occasionally The Little Blue Book has an interesting story or fact along with the reflection. Today's story is the history of Advent, which I thought might be interesting to some people, so I will include it here.

In the early Church, four different "comings" or manifestations of the Lord were celebrated all as one feast on January 6: His birth, the visit of the magi, his baptism by John, and his miracle at Cana. The feast was named "Epiphany"--a Greek word meaning "showing, manifestation". Epiphany became, along with Easter, a traditional date for baptisms.
Just as the baptisms at Easter were prepared for by a time of fasting and penance (Lent), so the baptisms at Epiphany were prepared for by a time of fasting and penance called "Advent" (from a Latin word meaning "coming").
Gradually, in many places, Christ's birth was given its own feast day on December 25, and the season of Advent shifted to a time of preparation for this feast."
Over the years, Advent became less and less a carbon copy of Lent (fasting and penance) and more a time of prayer and reflection to appreciate the meaning of Christ's coming at Bethlehem, and his coming at the end of time.
The symbol of this season has become the Advent wreath, with the successive lighting of its four candles on each of the four Sundays, a sign of the approach of the birth of the Light of the World.

P.S. Please feel free to add your own comments/insights/questions, etc. The more participation there is, the more feedback I have--which will make it easier for me to make this interesting and useful for everyone who is reading this.
(You are reading this, aren't you?)

[StevieG]

I don't have much to add apart from the fact that I'm reading it and learning!

I like the format, it's easy to go through. And the history of Advent was also very interesting.

Keep going! Menolly's 60 day journey produced very little response, but a lot of 'hits' - I was reading without commenting, there was so much to take in. I suspect it will be similar here. I've already learnt so much on KW, and looking forward to more.

[Menolly]

Like others did with the 60 Day Journey, I think we are reading, contemplating, and absorbing the lessons, Owlie. So much to rejoice in so far. It is fascinating...

All you need do is look at the number of hits the thread has received.
You've made four posts so far and already have over 80 views. That's pretty darn awesome for The Close.

...and your explanations are fantastic!

Keep going! Menolly's 60 day journey produced very little response, but a lot of 'hits' - I was reading without commenting, there was so much to take in. I suspect it will be similar here. I've already learnt so much on KW, and looking forward to more.

*nod*

I wrote the above before seeing Stevie's response. GMTA...

[Auleliel]

Okay then. If the format is good and the information is interesting, then I shall continue doing this as I have been.
Thanks for reminding me that I can check how many views a thread has had, I forgot about that feature.

Tomorrow is going to be very busy for me, so I may include Thursday's reflection with Friday's.

[Savor Dam]

I, too, am following this on a daily basis.

[Furls Fire]

This is beautiful Owlie

Keep going!

O God,
rejoicing,
we remember the promise of your Son.
As the light from this candle,
may the blessing of Christ come upon us,
brightening our way
and guiding us by His truth.
May Christ our Savior bring life
into the darkness of our world,
and to us, as we wait for His coming.
We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen

[Auleliel]

That's a beautiful prayer, Furls. I haven't heard it before; thanks for sharing it.

I was on the go all day yesterday, so I didn't get a chance to use my computer. I'm including a short reflection for yesterday in today's post.

December 3, 2009
Thursday of the First Week of Advent

In today's Scripture passage, Zechariah expresses his doubts about the angel's message that he and Elizabeth will have a son.

Then Zechariah said to the angel, "How shall I know this? For I am an old man, and my wife is advanced in years."
And the angel said to him in reply, "I am Gabriel, who stands before God. I was sent to speak to you and announce to you this good news. But now you will be speechless and unable to talk until the day these things take place, because you did not believe my words, which will be fulfilled at their proper time."

We now know the angel's name--Gabriel.
Zechariah asks for a sign and receives one--he is struck mute because he doubted. (Apparently he will also be deaf. We will see later, when it's time to name the child, that he communicates to the others in sign language, and they communicate that way to him.)
Ever ask for a sign from God? Sure I have. We all do.
But generally, it's simply not God's way to give dramatic signs in advance.
It's different when I look to the past. I can look back and see signs of the hand of God in my life, because I'm able to see a longer stretch and thus recognize certain patterns. It's not so much individual extraordinary happenings, but a combination of various circumstances, each one individually explainable, but all of them combining to take me in a certain direction. It didn't happen simply by chance.
Take some time to look back on some of these patterns. Where have I seen the hand of God in my life?

December 4, 2009
Friday of the First Week of Advent

Meanwhile the people were waiting for Zechariah and were amazed that he stayed so long in the sanctuary. But when he came out, he was unable to speak to them, and they realized that he had seen a vision in the sanctuary. He was gesturing to them but remained mute. Then, when his days of ministry were completed, he went home.
After this time his wife Elizabeth conceived, and she went into seclusion for five months, saying, "So has the Lord done for me at a time when he has seen fit to take away my disgrace before others."

(That last line didn't make sense to me, so I looked it up in another Bible with a different translation, and it says that Elizabeth said "Now at last the Lord has helped me. He has taken away my public disgrace!" Amazing what a difference a few words can mean!)

Zechariah and Elizabeth go home. We're not told where this is but later, when Mary visits their home, we learn that it was "a town of Judah" (the same part of the land as Jerusalem) in the "hill country".
Elizabeth soon learns that she is pregnant, as the angel had promised, and she expresses her joy at what God has done for her. (Mary will do the same in her Magnificat.)
Prayers of thanksgiving are the easiest to say. Every day, even on bad days, I come across all sorts of things that can remind me of God's goodness--trees, little children, warm water in the shower, the sound of birds, a good burger, the sun, moon, stars, a kindness someone does for me.
If I keep my eyes open for them, I can catch lots of things I never really noticed as "gifts" before--things that deserve a simple word of thanks to God.

I think it's really amazing that thankfulness is the topic of the day. In the seventh-grade religion class I'm teaching right now, we're studying the ways we know God loves us, and this week I had my students write thank-you letters to God for all the blessings he has given us. Writing a letter to God is a useful mode of prayer for people who need a more tactile way to connect with God, and can be especially helpful to people who are just beginning to build a relationship with God. Keeping a prayer journal is an easy way to make writing a letter to God part of one's daily prayer life.

Spend a few minutes thanking God for the blessings he has poured out upon you and asking for guidance during this Season of Advent.

[Menolly]

I think it's really amazing that thankfulness is the topic of the day. In the seventh-grade religion class I'm teaching right now, we're studying the ways we know God loves us, and this week I had my students write thank-you letters to God for all the blessings he has given us. Writing a letter to God is a useful mode of prayer for people who need a more tactile way to connect with God, and can be especially helpful to people who are just beginning to build a relationship with God. Keeping a prayer journal is an easy way to make writing a letter to God part of one's daily prayer life.

Spend a few minutes thanking God for the blessings he has poured out upon you and asking for guidance during this Season of Advent.

Feedback time.

This is an essential part of Judaism. Our daily life is full of prayers of gratitude. One of the first prayers Jewish children are taught is Modeh Ani, literally translated as "I give thanks." It is the prayer we say as soon as our eyes open, before we even rise out of bed. The English translation for this prayer is...

I offer thanks before you, living and eternal King, for You have mercifully restored my soul within me; Your faithfulness is great.

Another prayer children are taught young is the one that is said whenever they see a rainbow. The rainbow represents the Covenant, since HaShem supposedly first blessed the world with a rainbow after the great flood, as a promise such full destruction will not occur again.

...we even say thanks for everything being in working order upon finishing up in the toilet...

Gratitude is good.
At all times.

[Auleliel]

Thank you for sharing, Menolly. Gratitude is indeed good.

December 5, 2009
Saturday of the First Week of Advent

In today's Scripture passage, we leave the story of Elizabeth and Zechariah for a few days and see what is happening to Mary in the meantime.

In the sixth month, the angel Gabriel was sent from God to a town of Galilee called Nazareth, to a virgin betrothed to a man named Joseph, of the house of David, and the virgin's name was Mary. And coming to her, he said, "Hail, favored one! The Lord is with you."
But she was greatly troubled at what was said and pondered what sort of greeting this might be.

Five months have passed since Luke's previous scene (with Zechariah). The site now shifts to the northern town of Nazareth, where the angel Gabriel appears to Mary.
Mary's reaction is much like Zechariah's--she is troubled, afraid. In Scripture, fear is a standard reaction to divine visitations.
That can be my reaction too. There are moments when I sense God's presence. It can happen at unexpected times and places--at home, at work, waiting in line, driving, doing anything, anywhere. Trouble is, I'm not so sure I want God as part of my regular life. Not that my life is that bad, but I'd like to clean it up a bit, or meat God at a special spot (like maybe a church, or off in the woods).
The Lord reached out to Peter and Andrew while they were fishing, Zaccheus when he was up a tree, Matthew when he was working at his customs post, the criminal when he was hanging next to him on the cross.
This Advent, which means a "coming", I celebrate not only the coming of Jesus at Bethlehem, but the Lord coming into my life... my real life.
Lord, remind me that you are with me, all day, everywhere, today.

It is very easy to separate our relationship with God from our everyday lives--to go through the motions and attend weekly services and think that that is the only place we need God in our lives. God is there for us whether we want him to be there or not, whether we are aware of his presence or not.
Spend a few minutes with the Lord inviting him to be a more visible part of your life.

Tomorrow is the Second Sunday of Advent and the Feast of Saint Nicholas. I will try to find some good information to share about Saint Nicholas and how his feast is celebrated in different cultures.
In my family, and other Catholic families of German descent, St. Nicholas comes tonight to hide goodies in children's shoes near a door or window, which the children find and enjoy tomorrow morning. This tradition rises from a story of St. Nicholas's life.
In the 300s A.D. in Asia Minor (now Turkey), a woman could not get married without a dowry, and usually a pretty sizable dowry was needed. If a woman or her father did not have enough money or goods for a dowry, she would often have to live a "sinful life" to survive (this would most likely be prostitution). St. Nicholas heard that there was a father who was in debt and who had three daughters who were of age to be married. He had only a few days to come up with enough money for their dowries or he would be forced to sell them into slavery to the man he owed money to. St. Nicholas secretly gave them enough money for three generous dowries by either dropping it into their house through an open window or down a chimney (history is unclear as to which). This is also how we get the tradition of putting stockings by the chimney for Santa Claus, whose name is derived from the Dutch name for Saint Nicholas.

[aliantha]

I'm beating you to it, Owlie. St. Nicholas Day is a big deal in the Czech Republic. Here's a link to some information from Radio Praha: archiv.radio.cz/christmas/nicholas.html

St. Nicholas brings gifts to the kids and fills their stockings on this day instead of on Christmas. There's also a parade featuring Svatý Mikulaš (a.k.a. St. Nicholas), an angel, and a devil.

[Auleliel]

Thanks for sharing, aliantha. I didn't know any of that, and I'm part Czech (well, Bohemian, anyway). It was a very interesting read.

Since ali shared some information about the Feast of Saint Nicholas, I will share information about the Advent wreath instead.

Wikipedia has some interesting and accurate information about the history and symbolism of the Advent wreath, along with some common variations.
The interpretiation of the symbols of the Advent wreath that I am most familiar with:

The accumulation of light is an expression of the growing anticipation of the birth of Jesus Christ, who in Christian faith is seen as the light of the world. The circular wreath represents God's eternity and unity. Evergreens are a symbol of enduring life.

In my parish we use three blue candles and a rose candle, with the rose candle being lit on the third Sunday of Advent (I will explain the significance of this difference next week). In my family we substitute purple candles for the blue candles. The first week, the purple/blue candle directly across from the rose candle is lit. The second week, the first candle and the purple/blue candle anti-clockwise from it are lit. The third week, the first two candles and the rose candle are lit. The fourth week, all four candles are lit. On Christmas Eve and Christmas, all four candles are lit and a fifth candle (red in my family, white at my parish) is lit in the center.
Wikipedia also has a good explanation for the significance of the colors:

In Catholic churches (of both the Roman and Anglican traditions), the most popular colors for the Advent candles are purple and rose. In the Western church, purple is the historic liturgical color for three of the four Sundays of Advent: once the color associated with royalty, it symbolizes Christ as the "Prince of Peace." Rose is the color for the Third Sunday of Advent, known as Gaudete Sunday from the Latin word "rejoice." Gaudete Sunday anticipates the joy of the Christmas celebration, so its color is a mixture of Advent purple and Christmas white. It may also symbolize the color of early dawn. .... Blue is also a popular alternative color both for Advent vestments and the Advent candles, especially in some Anglican and Lutheran churches. This is following with the liturgical seasons, blue meaning hope and waiting. Which aligns with seasonal meaning of advent.
Other variations of the Advent wreath add a white candle in the center to symbolize Christmas, sometimes known as the "Christ candle." It can be lit on Christmas Eve or Christmas Day. White is the traditional festal color in the Western church.

December 6, 2009
Second Sunday in Advent, and the Feast of Saint Nicholas

On Sundays The Little Blue Book does not always include a Scripture passage, but rather has a longer reflection. This week's reflection was very useful to me, so I will include it here in full.

We lived on an island. On Saturdays, my parents would often go to the farmer's market in downtown Detroit to buy food in large quantities at good prices. Before leaving, they gave us our Saturday chores and told us to have them done when they returned.
As soon as they left, we would have a great time playing baseball or whatever. When we figured it was about time for them to return, someone was posted along the shore with a pair of binoculars. They were the lookout and their job was to watch the distant bridge to spot the family car heading home. It took about 10 minutes from the bridge. The moment the lookout sounded the alarm, we swung into action. No youngsters ever worked harder tha we did during those final 10 minutes. We were never finished when they arrived, but we made a good show of making it look as though our labors had taken several hours.
That is one way to get ready for an arrival.
You scramble to get things ready when you find out that the time is near. It's also a pretty good analogy for a deathbed conversion. It is not what you call the true Advent spirit.
What is the Advent spirit? How does the Church get ready for the Lord's coming?
The disciples thought the best way was to know exactly when the Lord's coming would take place: "Tell us, when will all this occur? What will be the sign of your coming and the end of the world?"
Jesus told them that no one knows the exact day and hour. There are no binoculars to spot it from a distance, despite occasional fundamentalist claims to the contrary.
After squelching the idea of knowing the exact date of his return, Jesus taught the disciples how to get ready: Simply make sure, day in and day out, that the poor and suffering are the center of your concern.
That was no casual remark on Jesus' part. It was the grand finale of all his teaching in Matthew's Gospel: "When the Son of Man comes in his glory... all the nations will be assembled before him..." He divides them into two groups and tells them that the whole difference is based on how they treated him in the person of the hungry, the thirsty, the stranger, the naked, the ill, the imprisoned.
That was no parable or allegory. It's the bottom line: If you didn't serve these people, you didn't serve him because he is in them.
We're not simply talking good works here. We're talking real presence.
Remember how Jesus identified himself with the leaders of his community? "He who hears you hears me." The stunning truth is that he identified himself just as closely with the poor and suffering: "As often as you did it for one of them, you did it for me." Such works are not reckoned as though they were done to him. They were done to him.
Imagine. The Lord has the same identification with the poor and suffering as with Peter and the other apostles. The only way the Church can live up to its calling and get ready for the coming of the Lord is to respond to his coming day in and day out with his coming in the poor and suffering.
I am to recognize Jesus' special presence in the needy and suffering, just as truly as I recognize his special presence in the pregnant, young, poor girl named Mary.
There is no other way, says the Lord, to get ready.

I hope this isn't information overload for all of you.

[Menolly]

The accumulation of light is an expression of the growing anticipation of the birth of Jesus Christ, who in Christian faith is seen as the light of the world.

Similar reasoning (although not JC focused) to the lighting of an additional candle each night of Hanukkah. Cool.

[StevieG]

I hope this isn't information overload for all of you.

Heh! It must take you a long time to post it all, so it's appreciated. I was brought up in a catholic family, but a lot of this information is new to me.

[Auleliel]

I hope this isn't information overload for all of you.

Heh! It must take you a long time to post it all, so it's appreciated. I was brought up in a catholic family, but a lot of this information is new to me.

Yeah, it's taken me between 45 minutes to an hour and a half for most of these posts, but it's worth it.
Some of this information is new to me too, and I have attended Catholic schools for 17 1/2 years. I guess you don't really pay much attention to certain things when you grow up surrounded by them.