The Sunday Propers: Advent and Penance

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While it is sometimes forgotten in the minds of Catholics today, the season of Advent is ultimately a penitential season. The priest wears purple vestments (with the exception of Gaudete Sunday) and the Gloria being omitted are two ways this is signified. When the reader hears “penitential”, he automatically thinks of sorrow for sin, such as during the Lenten season. While this is indeed part of our penitential journey during this season, the Propers of this Sunday’s liturgy in the Extraordinary Form tell us a different story.

The Catechism of the Council of Trent distinguishes between a true penance and a false penance. There needs to be more to penance than sorrow for sin. Judas was clearly sorry for his sins, but he did not exercise penance when he hanged himself. The Roman Catechism rightly teaches that penance “assists us in restraining within the bounds of moderation our sense of sorrow.”

This moderation comes through a reminder of the hope that the Gospel provides, and it is this aspect of penance that is emphasized throughout the season of Advent. Today’s Introit reminds us that those who trust in God will not be put to shame. (Psalm 24:1-3) When exercised properly, shame is a good thing. It reminds us of our humanity and a need of a Savior. When exercised improperly, there is little deadlier. We all know of times when we felt great shame for a sin, and sometimes this shame even kept us away from God. “Nobody can forgive what I have done” is a very frequent refrain, and this is the language of an extreme shame. The Introit reminds us that no matter how strong our sense of shame, God’s sense of mercy is even stronger. The Psalmist gives us a guarantee: if you trust in God, you will never be left to your shame.

Another aspect of penance besides sorrow is that of discipline. With Advent, we are about to undertake a great journey, one that will require much discipline. St Paul’s Epistle tells us “now the hour for us to rise from sleep, because now our salvation is nearer than when we came to believe. “ (Romans 13:11-14) Advent should cause us to have even more hope than normal due to the pending birth of Christ. While sometimes Advent is described as a season of “waiting for the Lord”, this concept seems alien in the Epistle. Instead of a passive waiting, St. Paul commands us to rise up! Instead of standing still, he urges to “walk in the day.” When one walks in the day, one can see where they are going, the path is sure. This is opposed to walking in darkness, where one wanders around aimlessly. St. Paul tells us that this aimless walking is the Christian living in his sins, instead of walking the sure path Christ has laid out for us. Advent is a chance to redouble our efforts on this path.

As with any other path, the path of our redemption has landmarks and signs. Christ tells us that “upon the earth distress of nations bewildered by the roaring of sea and waves; men fainting for fear and for expectation of the things that are coming on the world.” (Luke 21:25-33) While this is often interpreted in an eschatological (End Times) scenario, we should not ignore the immediate truth of this passage. In the Gospel, Christ contrasts the “distress of nations” with the hope Christians should feel that “their redemption is at hand.” What I find interesting here is that both “the nations” and the followers of Christ realize that something is wrong, and that there is a disconnect between how things should be, and how they are. The difference is instead in their reaction. The world trembles and is afraid, whereas the follower of Christ is overjoyed. For the nations, this world is all they have. If it isn’t sufficient, what else is there? We can answer that “what else” is Christ, and that should be a source of joy.

When Our Lord says “your redemption is at hand”, we can also look at this in a liturgical context. At this point of Mass, we should be looking with hope towards receiving our Lord in the Blessed Sacrament, because He is both our hope and redemption. While we anticipate Our Lord’s birth during Advent, it should also be a time to have a renewed appreciation of our ability to behold Christ in the here and now. Think of this as a time to attend Eucharistic Adoration with greater frequency, to frequent Eucharistic Benediction and other devotions. St. Paul commands that we walk in the light, and there is no light brighter than the Holy Eucharist.

When we partake of the Eucharist, we participate in a special way the "festal season of our redemption.” (PostCommunion) While we wait with eager hope and expectation the coming of Emmanuel, let us never forget that due to His love, Emmanuel is waiting for us in the tabernacle, waiting for us to rise up and go towards him “with heads raised.”

Editor’s note: Each week for Advent we shall be exploring the propers of the Extraordinary Form of the Liturgy. We hope that reflecting on these ancient readings will help you to better reflect during this holy season. Check in every Thursday.

http://www.ncregister.com/site/article/reclaiming-advent/#ixzz3KNtS78aS

Every year, we resolve to have a peaceful, meaningful Advent in our household — yet every year it somehow sneaks up on us.

The culture doesn’t help: According to the retail-store calendar, the Christmas season began in mid-September.

By the time Christmas Day actually rolls around, it feels like a conclusion rather than a beginning.

We as a society have it completely backward: In our impatient, instant-gratification culture, the idea of being patient and anticipating a big event can seem beyond us.

But we must persevere. So many valuable lessons are lost when we ignore the liturgical seasons and dive into Christmas music in November. The Church actually teaches that learning to wait is important for the future moral life of our kids: “Chastity cannot exist as a virtue without the capacity to renounce self, to make sacrifices and to wait” (Pontifical Council for the Family’s “Truth and Meaning of Human Sexuality,” 5).

Remember that it’s never too late to start creating some Advent traditions, and any effort is worthwhile.

Here are some tried-and-true ideas for reclaiming the Advent and Christmas seasons in your family:

Deck the halls with lots of purple. When you put up all your wreaths and greenery on doors and windows, hold on to your red Christmas bows and invest in some purple ribbon instead. This can set the tone for the whole Advent season: that it’s something special and different from Christmas. Switch out the purple bows on Christmas Eve. What a witness to the whole neighborhood!

Pray a new prayer. Advent is the perfect time to introduce new prayers to your household. Novenas are wonderful family prayers, because once you start, everyone is invested in praying every day. This year, we’ll be praying the “Novena to Our Lady of the New Advent,” which begins on Dec. 16. Learn more about this newer devotion by googling the title. Be sure to note the beautiful icon of this image, which shows Christ in utero.

Stake out family time. Christmas celebrates the Holy Family; honor them by scheduling time together as a family. For example, plan a family movie night and pop in It’s A Wonderful Life. Make this life-affirming movie mandatory viewing for all of your kids.

Celebrate the birthday of Baby Jesus. In our house, we make a birthday cake for Jesus as part of Christmas dinner, and, yes, you can light candles and sing Happy Birthday. Other families we know sing the song in the morning before opening presents. Still others have a crèche inside and make a big deal of placing Baby Jesus in the crib that morning.

Be Web-savvy. Explore Catholic websites for more ideas. Our personal favorites are CatholicCusine.blogspot.com and the Advent and Christmas workshops at CatholicCulture.org. Find one or two new ideas that will work for your family and make those part of your Christmas preparation.

Happy Advent!

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