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The opening prayer of today’s Mass contained what I believe to be an important teaching about the season of Advent, a teaching many of us may have missed. In the opening prayer, we asked God to “…open our hearts in welcome…when [Christ] comes in glory.” Note what we did not state in the opening prayer. We did not invoke God to “…open our hearts in welcome…when Santa Claus brings the stash of goodies….” I think the reason we did not state that is pretty obvious. The season of Advent is not about Santa Claus and an exchange of gifts. We also did not ask God to “…open our hearts in welcome…when we will celebrate Christmas day….” The reason we did not state this is not quite as obvious. In fact, the prayer did not point us to what lies in the immediate future—toward Christmas day—at all. Why? The season of Advent is not about preparing for Christmas day, at least in so far as people in our culture generally define and celebrate it. Nor did we in the opening prayer ask God to “open our hearts in welcome…to the Christ child who came that first Christmas day.” Again, the reason we did not state this is not so obvious. The prayer did not point us to the past—backwards in history—to the first Christmas day. As good as welcoming the Christ child who came that first Christmas day may be, the season of Advent is not about getting ready to meet Jesus in the manger at Bethlehem or for us to conjure up warm and fuzzy feelings associated with past events. It may be nice, but this is not the purpose for the season of Advent. What today’s opening prayer states actually builds upon what was stated in last Sunday’s opening prayer for the First Sunday of Advent. In that prayer, we asked God that “Christ may find an eager welcome at His coming and call us to His side in the kingdom of heaven.” So, what is this idea—that “Christ may find an eager welcome at His coming and call us to His side in the kingdom of heaven”—intended to recall? The season of Advent is not a time to take a sentimental look backwards in history to the first Christmas day. Nor is the season of Advent a time to look forward eagerly for the arrival of Santa Claus on Christmas day. No, the season of Advent is the time when we look backward to recount all of the people and events that comprise God’s saving actions on behalf of His people, culminating in the first coming of Jesus Christ. The season of Advent is also the time when we look forward with joyful anticipation to the second coming of Jesus Christ at the end of time. Thus, the season of Advent has a two-fold character. The General Norms for the Liturgical Year and the Calendar describes this “as a season to prepare for Christmas when Christ’s first coming to us is remembered; as a season when that remembrance directs the mind and heart to await Christ’s Second Coming at the end of time. Advent is thus a period for devout and joyful expectation” (#39). First: What does it mean to be devout? In the context of this season and its two-fold purpose, “devout” for us as Catholics means engaging as families in religious practices that remind all of their members of the true purpose for and meaning of Advent. Let me suggest three devotions every Catholic family should practice during the season of Advent that not only call to mind the dual purpose of this time of grace but also, as St. Paul wrote to the Philippians, “that our love may increase ever more and more in knowledge and every kind of perception, to discern what is of value, so that we may be pure and blameless for the day of Jesus Christ, filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ for the glory and praise of God.” It is important to remember, too, that each of these devotions weren’t mandated by the Church nor did they appear out of thin air! No, these devotions grew out of the spiritual experience of people in the mid-19th century, people just like you and me. They wanted to preserve the tradition of the faith they had received and wanted to pass on to future generations through symbols that would communicate the idea of salvation history, the meaning of the first coming of Christ, and point toward the his second coming. Some of those people, I am sure, were worried and fearful—as may people are today—that those traditions were being lost and their children and grandchildren were, for all practical purposes, ignorant of these religious matters. These people didn’t simply “cry out in the desert: ‘Prepare the way of the Lord, make straight his paths,’” as St. John the Baptist did. They also did something that ended up being miraculous: they tapped into their Christian consciousness and powers of human creativity to design symbols and to create devotions using those symbols that continue to this day to teach the faith effectively. The problem today is do people even know about these devotions and, if they do, do they even care about performing them? Each day during Advent, the devotion involves one family member opening one of the windows to reveal its contents to the rest of the family. A family can celebrate the opening of the windows on the Advent calendar each day just before breakfast or everyone dashes out the door for the day. Gathering in front of the Advent calendar (frequently Advent calendars are posted on the refrigerator door—a great location because this forces anyone opening the refrigerator door to take a look at the Advent calendar—family members gather together and make the sign of the Cross. Then, one member of the family opens the assigned door and reads the contents appearing behind it to which all family members respond, “Thanks be to God.” Now, that’s simple enough! Since Advent is a time to stir-up joyful expectation in the second coming of Jesus Christ, the Advent calendar provides families a special way to remain vigilant in devotion as they contemplate the true meaning of Christmas, the fulfillment of God’s promise in first coming of Christ. A second devotion carried out during the season of Advent involves placing an Advent wreath on the kitchen table. For Catholics, it’s not enough simply to display an Advent wreath. No, saying the prayers written for this Advent devotion before the evening meal each and every day is a important way for Catholic families to build upon the morning’s Advent calendar devotion now by recalling the second coming of Christ. The prayers each day are easily available for free on the Internet. A third devotion is perhaps the toughest. It includes holding off on putting up the Christmas tree until Christmas Eve and putting up a Jesse tree instead. This devotion enables a family to recall the Old Testament events from Creation to the birth of Jesus. Traditionally, the ornaments decorating a Jesse tree are handmade by members of the family, and one is added to the Jesse tree each day during Advent. A brief verse of Scripture from the story represented by the ornament is then read to explain each symbol. The daily celebration of the Jesse tree can take place in the evening, just before the first member of the family goes to bed. The devotion begins as one family members reads the Jesse tree scripture passage for the day which serves as the inspiration for its unique ornament. The family member who made the simple ornament then places it on the tree and, if necessary, explains the symbolism of the ornament. The devotion closes as the family prays the psalm response form the day’s liturgy. These prayers are readily available and for free on the Internet. Practicing this devotion during the season of Advent, when the day of Christmas Eve arrives, the entire story of salvation history—the complete First Advent—festoons the Jesse tree. More importantly, the story of salvation history will have been recounted for all and, even though family members will celebrate the birth of the new shoot from the stump of Jesse—Jesus Christ—they will also now anticipate with joyful hope the Second Advent when Christ will come in glory and fulfill the promise God made long ago. Those are three very practical ways for Catholic families to be devout during the season of Advent. They have emerged from the religious experience of our ancestors and use symbols to teach us their faith today. What, then, of that second element, “joyful expectation”? As today’s psalm response stated, “The Lord has done great things for us,” but as the psalm response continued, are “we filled with joy”? As I mentioned last week, this is particularly problematic for us because we live in a culture that stresses immediate gratification. The concepts of waiting and expecting are so foreign to us that we become anxious and worried when we have to wait and expect. As a result, we actually need to learn (or to re-learn) what it means to wait and to expect. Think about it this way: if we are already awash in Christmas symbols as early as Black Friday (if not earlier) and if we are already celebrating Christmas party after Christmas party for the first three weeks of December while it is still the season of Advent, it will be virtually impossible for all of the symbols of Christmas day to light us up and fill us with joy. So, how might we as Catholics learn (or, as the case may be re-learn) to allow joyful expectation to fill us? Well, the answer to that question is a little more difficult than simply being devout if only because achieving joyful expectation builds upon being devout! Here are some ways that we as Catholics might allow joyful expectation to grow within and to fill us with great joy on Christmas day. First: don’t put up any Christmas decorations until Christmas Eve. Instead, post an Advent calendar on the refrigerator door, construct an Advent wreath and place it on the kitchen table, and put up a Jesse tree in the family room. Second: each day of Advent, gather as a family and perform these three simple, yet spiritually powerful Advent devotions. As Catholics, this is how we can follow the prophecy of Baruch who said in today’s first reading: “...take off your robe of mourning and misery; put on the splendor of glory from God forever.” Sure, it will be difficult to do and I know excuses for not performing these devotions will abound. However, I can promise you that the repetition of these three devotions during each day of the season of Advent will bit by bit recount the entire story of salvation history and generate joyful expectation in the hearts of every family member who practices these devotions sincerely. The regular practice of these devotions will strengthen hope in what your family and each member of your family can become as everyone collectively enters wholeheartedly into the season of Advent with the goal, as stated in today’s opening prayer, of preparing themselves “to receive Christ with joy, share his wisdom, and become one with him when he comes in glory.” In this way, all of us can recapture the Christian vision of the future when Christ will come in glory. This vision is not a feeling experienced once each year on Christmas day, but a way of life that Jesus’ disciples live each day throughout the entire year.
A brief
commercial break... As Catholics, we prepare for Christ's coming by celebrating the season of Advent. During these four weeks, we prepare the way for Christ to come into our lives each and every day, not just on Christmas day. For Catholic families, in addition to the three ideas I discussed in today's homily, let me suggest two more practical ways to prepare for Christ's coming: 1. Celebrate the Feast of St. Nicholas on December 6th. One way to "put Christ back into Christmas" is to reclaim the faith-filled life of heroic virtue revealed in the great Christian saint, St. Nicholas of Myra. Besides sharing simple gifts with family members, like placing candy in shoes that have been left outside of the bedroom door, share some time with people who are alone, in the hospital, convalescing, etc. 2. Celebrate God's mercy. Advent is a particularly fitting time for every member of the family to welcome the light of God's forgiveness into the dark places of family life. Gather the family together and go to church to celebrate the Sacrament of Penance together. Then, go out for pizza to celebrate God's mercy and a new beginning free from sin. By participating in these practical activities to prepare for Christmas day, Catholic families will not only have contemplated their need for God and God's self-revelation through salvation history. In addition, they will have experienced God present and active in their family's life. Then, on Christmas day, when family members greet one another by saying, "Merry Christmas," they all will truly be prepared to celebrate the Mass wherein Christ will strengthen and nourish them with his body and blood to bring Christ to the world.
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HOMILY
