Advent

Advent is the four Sundays which mark the preparations for Christmas.  Notice that I did not say four weeks.  If you recall, there have been years when the Fourth Sunday of Advent and Christmas Eve are the same day.  This year Christmas is on Tuesday. 

          There is a layering to Advent.  The first layer is a focus on the Second Coming of Christ at the end of the world.  Even though the end of the church calendar was last Sunday with the Feast of Christ the King, this beginning of the church year connects with His final coming.  Beginnings and endings have much in common. 

          On the 16^th of December we shift to the second layer; the First Coming of Jesus, which is a novena.  These are the “O” antiphons; O Wisdom, O Holy One, O Flower of Jesse’s Stem, O Radiant Dawn, O King of all Nations, O Key of David, O Dayspring, O Come Emmanuel.  This is the Posadas of the Hispanic world.  Most cultures have rich traditions of preparing for Jesus’ coming.  Your own family may have traditions which help you prepare for the coming of the Lord; Advent Calendars and wreaths, Jesse Trees, Nativity Scenes, and Evergreen Boughs.

          When you are preparing for a baby, we also look to the mother.  Mary is a major focus of Advent as we celebrate the Immaculate Conception and the feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe.  Please note that the Immaculate Conception is for Mary’s conception — not Jesus’ as many wrongfully say.  In nine months from December 8^th – that is September 8^th — we observe the Virgin’s birth.  We celebrated the conception of Jesus on March 25^th – nine months ago. 

Advent is a joyful season.  Celebrate your own traditions and those of the Church as we anxiously await the birth of the Great High Priest, the Alpha and the Omega, the Lord and King of all.