TRADITIONS OF THE SEASON
“To you, O Lord, I lift my soul” -Psalm 25:1,
Introit for the First Sunday of Advent
And so it begins. Advent is here—in the words of Mother Church—“a period of devout and expectant delight” (Universal Norms on the Liturgical Year, 17). One of the special delights of this season are the many traditions that make it up. I was recently invited as a guest on the Society of Gilbert Keith Chesterton’s podcast, Uncommon Sense, about living Advent. You can listen to hear more but I also write this article encourage all to embrace this powerful season:
-Keep it simple! Advent is not primarily a time of addition and clutter but of stripping away, essentializing and attentiveness to prayer. As you go through this list don’t feel impelled to ‘do it all’. Maybe this first point is all you need to put into practice. Less can be more!
-Silence is golden! I wrote about this last week. Silence can be scary, but all things grow in silence. Silence today often involves unplugging (and no, I don’t mean relying on Bluetooth or WiFi…) Try opening all your senses up to silence.
-Deck the halls! As you prepare hearth and home for the coming of Christ don’t be afraid to live Advent too. Some people wait until Gaudete Sunday (Dec 15 this year) to decorate. Some wait until Christmas Eve, some people are so eager they can’t wait! There is no right or wrong, but all physical preparation is a sign of spiritual preparation. Consider lending a hand to help decorate our beautiful churches. Also, just because you hang lights, doesn’t mean you have to turn them on before Christmas.
-Away from the manger! That’s right, please keep at least the Baby Jesus away from the manger until Christmas Eve. Christ came in the fullness of time, not early or late. Consider setting up your Nativity Scene in stages only slowly placing the figurines out.
-Better to light a candle! Advent wreathes can be a wonderful way to remember the True Light coming into the world. Christmas falls just after the darkest days of the year. Lighting candles is a primitive act that goes perfectly with reading Scripture and prayer.
-Let us break bread together! If you’ve never heard of this wonderful Polish tradition, consider making it your own. Some have been doing it forever, I’ve just done it since I’ve come to Holy Cross. Plan to get your Opłatki blessed wafers and be ready to share them during a delicious Christmas meal. An explanation is on the packet or online.
-Sights and Sounds! Plan on attending one of more of the following: Advent Lessons & Carols (Dec 14), Nordeast Catholic Underground with special guest, Luke Spehar (Dec 18), all parish Movie Night hosted by the Pastoral Council (Dec 19).
-Get to confession! Now is the time to seek the Lord. Christmas is a season for giving, but also of forgiveness. We are providing numerous extra times at each our campuses. Don’t put off to tomorrow what can be done today.
-Ringing in a Season! Christmas lasts even more than twelve days. We start celebrating it on December 24th and this year it carries through this year until January 12th. To help celebrate, join us on Friday evening, December 27th for a Christmas Octave potluck and Variety Show hosted by the Minneapolis Chesterton Society in the St. Clement Church Hall. Stay tuned for details.
-Check your list (at least twice)! Amid preparations over the next few weeks, keep this list, or a list you make for yourself. Remember: keep it simple, pray and don’t miss Jesus who is the reason for this glorious season!
Maranantha! Come quickly, Lord! ~Fr. Howe