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On Faith Clyde Guerreiro |
Advent is joyous season
of expectationChristmas is upon us. Activities special to this holiday season are in full swing and often overlap one another. These holiday activities seem to begin earlier each year.
In the Catholic community, announcing "Christmas is upon us" didn't come until the late date of Dec. 17, near the end of a period called Advent. Advent is described as the season of hope, brought about by a time of eager expectation. This eager expectation has two distinct parts: an eager expectation of the second coming of Christ and an eager expectation of Christmas (the first coming of Christ).
History shows Advent's origins in the first and second quarter of the Christian community. From 380 until 581, there was a development of practices that eventually led to the season called St. Martin's Lent. It was largely a time of fasting and prayer that began on Nov. 11 (the feast of St. Martin) and ended on Christmas. In the seventh and eighth centuries, prayer books provided for six Sundays of Advent.
Some church historians say that it was Pope Gregory the Great who fixed the season as four weeks and composed the prayers and antiphons for the Church of Rome. In France a parallel tradition was practiced. The French tradition emphasized the second coming of Christ. By the 12th century, the Roman and French traditions were brought together for the whole church. In the life of the church today, the second coming of Christ (French tradition) and the first coming of Christ (Roman tradition) create the images of this season of hope.
Let me mention the latter part of Advent, which we are presently in. From Dec. 17 until 24, the church community begins its preparation for the celebration of the birth of Christ. It is this Advent period when the community of the church and the community at large are almost synchronized. Clearly, preparation for the celebration of Dec. 25 is the focus. The energy of spirituality, traditions, festivity and generosity are channeled toward the event of Christ's birth. There is an eager expectation for the joy that is part of Christmas.
For the three weeks prior to Dec. 17, the church focus was the second coming of Christ. In this Advent period, the community of the church is not synchronized with the community at large. One is focused on the future coming of Christ, and the other is focused on more immediate preparation for Christmas.
In the prayer of the church, we find the words, "Now we watch for the day, hoping that the salvation promised us will be ours when Christ our Lord will come again in his glory."
During this period, there are many images, especially from the Bible, that are part of the church's prayer, worship and activity. For example, this year's readings:
>> From St. Luke: "They will see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory. ... Stand erect and raise your heads because your redemption is at hand."
>> From the prophet Baruch: "See your children gathered from the east and west at the word of the Holy One, rejoicing that they are remembered."
These are hopeful images filled with eager expectation.
The Advent season, with its structured periods and its hopeful rhythms, can be a time to slow down the fast pace of the holiday season and to savor the feelings of eager expectation. Eager expectation is one of the steppingstones to the place of new hope.
The Rev. Clyde L. Guerreiro, a member of the Congregation of the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary, is in residence at St. Patrick Monastery in Kaimuki.
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