How to Avoid the Christmas Crazies:  The Real Meaning of Advent

Since I began this journey to become Catholic, I have been amazed by how deep and rich a tradition the Catholic church really is.  There are so many ways to become engaged in your faith that I never felt I had as a Protestant.  One thing that especially strikes me about this richness is the holistic manner in which you can experience your religion within Catholicism.  From the beauty of the Mass, to a relationship with Mary, to the idea of the Invisible Church and Saints, there are a myriad of ways to connect with and identify with your faith. 

As I have been studying about and learning about Catholicism, and as Mark will tell you, it is an involved process, I have been struck by the way in which the Old Testament presages the Gospels, which in turn are tied in to St. Paul's Letters.  I had never examined as a Protestant, not in all the Bible studies I attended, the history and richness of the Old Testament as it relates to what is coming in the Gospels.  Each Mass those dots get connected and you can see a clear path from the old covenant to the new. 

One of the most beautiful traditions I am currently experiencing is the Catholic understanding of Advent.  The word "advent" derives from its Latin root advenire which means "to come".  As a Protestant, I had largely experienced Advent through the lighting of the advent wreath. I wasn't aware of what this period really meant in the early Church. In the Catholic sense,  Advent is a time of penitential reflection as we await the incarnation of God through Jesus.

As part of that idea of incarnation, we celebrate the Feast of the Immaculate Conception, the Feast of our Lady of Guadalupe, and on January 1, otherwise known as New Year's Day, the Solemnity of the Virgin Mary.   These feast days mean that one is reflecting on Mary's role in the incarnation as well as what Advent means in the larger context, which is the idea of Jesus coming into history in the first century A.D. but also his coming in the "to be continued" context, meaning, when he comes again.  The word penitent means that we are in thought about our sins and about how we need to conform our minds and hearts to God's will.  As Catholics, we contemplate and experience the sacrifice that is reflected at each Mass through the sacrament of communion.

And so, in the midst of Christmas music about Santa and reindeer, which is fun and delightful for us all, I am reminded of the true meaning of Christmas:  obedience, in Mary's response to God, and sacrifice, in God making himself fully human for us.  For us.  It's easy to get wrapped up in all the craziness of gift giving, TV shows, food, parties and the  non-stop Christmas, but not necessarily sacred, music on the radio, BUT like the true inspiration for Santa, St. Nicholas, it's also about giving to others, and trying each day to reflect the spirit of Christ to our brothers and sisters.  My kids aren't going to have lots of presents this year, mostly because I want them to think about what Christmas is all about.  We will go to Mass a bunch, even on days other than a Sunday. We will light the advent wreath, we will give to charity, but most of all, we will refocus our minds by shifting our focus from the Christmas tree to the manger scene.

May you have a very Christ-filled Advent!

Monica