Friday, December 12, 2014

Advent Calendar - Day 12

Today is the feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe, the patroness of Mexico.  Several days ago on the feast of St. Juan Diego I offered the story of Our Lady of Guadalupe.  Our Lady of Guadalupe pray for us!


One of the things about Advent that confuses me is whether it is supposed to be a time of penance like Lent or a time of joyful anticipation.  I have heard both.  Our friends at The Catholic Underground call Advent "Lent Lite."  I like that.  On one hand the Church uses purple liturgical garments and that is the color of Lent and penance.  On the other hand, the time before Christmas is joyful - we are waiting for the coming of the King.  It is a little difficult to know which way we are supposed to go.

I do know that the euphoria of secular Christmas is NOT the way to go.  Continuous Christmas music begins on Thanksgiving and store decorations are put up on November 1 after Halloween comes down.  Everyone has parties, puts up a Christmas tree and sends out cards before Christmas.  It's a manic celebration that lasts the entire month of December.  Worse yet, it drives me crazy when I hear about people who push back from the table after Christmas dinner and proceed to take down their Christmas decorations.  The party's over - Christmas has arrived.

Where is the waiting and watching?  Christ was born once, rose once and will come back one more time.  The rest of the time in salvation history has been spent waiting - looking skyward, praying Maranatha (which can mean "Come Lord Jesus!" or "Our Lord Has Come!").  It seems like Advent should better represent that - the proper way to wait.  The patient way to wait.  The humble way to wait.  We should prepare ourselves - not just by decorating, buying gifts and going to parties - but by personal reflection and prayer.  That sounds so rational - but gosh it's hard when everything around you is in party or hustle mode!

So I think Advent should be reverent, humble and joyful anticipation of the coming of Jesus Christ, whether celebrating his birth or looking forward to his return.  I think it's a little like cleaning your house before the guest arrives.  Cleaning is no fun and hard work, but doing it in anticipation of a long-awaited visit makes it a lot more joyful and exciting.

So when my Christmas cards and gifts are late or I never get around to having a party before Christmas, I say good riddance - people are more likely to notice my card or gift after Christmas and goodness knows their calendars will be more open!

CC

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