THE LITURGICAL/CHURCH SEASONS.

 

     We have civil calendar that starts from January to December (though called the Christian calendar), and financial year that begins in April to ends in March. Some religions, like the Jewish and Islamic religions, have their own yearly calendars, as well as some cultures like Chinese, Indian and Igbo that determine days of their festivals. Similarly, the Catholic Church has its calendar that falls into a three-year cycle (Year A, B & C or 1, 2 & 3), otherwise known as liturgical years or Church year. As we have seasons in our civil calendar, so do we have seasons in the Church Calendar. Catholic liturgy is organized in such a way that the seasons of the church correspond to the history of our salvation. Understanding the significance of these Church seasons (Advent, Christmas, Lent, Easter and Ordinary time of the Year) would lead to a better understanding of the salvific mission of Christ. Some protestant churches, especially Lutherans and Anglicans, also follow this season, but most of them don’t. Let us join the Catholic liturgy to journey together as we begin the Advent season this evening. 

THE SEASON OF ADVENT

     The liturgical season of Advent marks the time of spiritual preparation by the faithful before Christmas. In Rome, the Advent preparation did not appear until the sixth century, and was viewed as a preparation for Christmas with less of a penitential bent. About the ninth century the Church designated the first Sunday of Advent as the beginning of the Church year. This season has to do with Promise of a Messiah, including things to expect with the coming, and preparation for his coming. It is a four-week season that is identified with the purple color. 

       The season begins with the blessing of Advent Wreathe of four candles, three purple and one rose, which represent the four Sundays of Advent. Then Wreathe is made of fresh plant material, because Christ came to give us new life through His passion, death, and resurrection. Three candles are purple, symbolizing penance, preparation, and sacrifice; the pink candle symbolizes the same but highlights the third Sunday of Advent, Gaudete Sunday, when we rejoice because our preparation is now half-way finished. The light represents Christ, who entered this world to scatter the darkness of evil and show us the way of righteousness. The progression of lighting candles shows our increasing readiness to meet our Lord. During this season, then alter is not decorated with flowers and the “Gloria” is not said during the celebration of the Holy Mass. 

       It is a time of expectation and preparation. Expectation of the fulfillment of God’s promise of sending a Messiah to his people, ‘’The days are coming’’ declares the LORD, ‘when I will fulfill the good promise I made to the people of Israel and Judah. In those days and at that time, I will make a righteous Branch sprout from David’s line; he will do what is just and right in the land. In those days Judah will be saved and Jerusalem will live in safety. This is the name by which it will be called: THE LORD OUR Righteous Savior.’’ (Jer 33: 14-16). God is not sending just a judge, a king, a prophet, or a priest as in the past, but someone with all these attributes put together, his own son as the savior of the world, ‘’the virgin will conceive a child! She will give birth to a son and will call him Immanuel (Which means ‘’God is with us’’) (Is 7: 14). Therefore, he will be a child with specific mission of freeing those held under bondage in various capacities. 

        During this season of Advent we, the new Israel, look forward to the coming of the son of God that would be with us to guide, protect and direct us. This season is a continuous reminder of God’s plan for us. We anxiously anticipate the coming of this savior who will help take off our garment of sorrow and affliction, for us to be put on forever the beauty of the glory from God, put on the robe of the righteousness from God and put on our heads the diadem of the glory of the Everlasting (Bar 5:1-2). Prophet Zephaniah called on all God’s children to rejoice and not be afraid, ‘’for the LORD your God is living among you. He is mighty savior. He will take delight in you with gladness. With his love, he will calm all your fears. He will rejoice over you with joyful songs’’. (Zep 3:17).

      Like children awaiting the return of their parents from a good trip, we anticipate the gifts that would come on our way with the coming of the messiah especially, that of peace and freedom because: ‘’The LORD will mediate between nations and will settle international disputes. They will hammer their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks. Nations will no longer fight against nation, nor train for war anymore’’ (Is 2:4). And, we are confident that ‘’when he comes, he will open the eyes of the blind and unplug the ears of the deaf. The lame will leap like a deer, and those who cannot speak will sing for joy! Springs will gush in the wilderness, and streams will water the wasteland’’ (Is 35:5-6). To receive these gifts, what preparations are we supposed to make? 

     Besides Advent being a season of expectation, it is also a time of preparation. We prepare for the arrival of this messiah by listening to the voice from the wilderness: “Prepare the way for the Lord’s coming! Clear the road for him! The valleys will be filled, and the mountains and hills made level. The curves will be straightened, and the rough places made smooth. And then all people will see the salvation sent from God’’ (Lk 3:4-6). Preparation involves repentance and firm purpose of amendment. This is because only those in the state of grace would be pleasing to the Lord. St. Paul therefore prayed: ‘’ May the Lord make your love increase and overflow for each other and for everyone else, just as ours does for you. May he strengthen your hearts so that you will be blameless and holy in the presence of our God and Father when our Lord Jesus comes with all his holy ones’’ (1Thess 3:12).

      Advent is a pointer to the second coming of Christ, our end of days. It reminds us that Christ will come with his rewards for all people, the good and bad. According to the Catechism of the Catholic Church, ‘’when the Church celebrates the liturgy of Advent each year, she makes present this ancient expectancy of the Messiah, for by sharing in the long preparation for the savior’s first coming’’ (No. 524). The readings in this season help us to reflect on what are expected of us if Jesus were to come today. The watch word is readiness. Jesus told us: ‘’Be careful, or your hearts will be weighed down with carousing, drunkenness and the anxieties of life, and that they will close on you suddenly like trap. For that day will come on all those who live on the face of the whole earth. Be always on the watch, and pray that you may be able to stand before the son of Man’’. (Lk 21: 31-36). Advent reminds us that our salvation is close at hand and St. Paul emphasized it by saying: ‘’the night is almost gone; the day of salvation will soon be here. So remove your dark deeds like dirty clothes, and put on the shining armor of right living. Because we belong to the day, we must live decent lives for all to see. Don’t participate in the darkness of wild parties and drunkenness, or in sexual promiscuity and immoral living, or in quarreling and jealousy’’ (Rom 13:11-12).

       What a joy having the four weeks of Advent to prepare for the coming of our promised messiah. We therefore pray that this preparation for the saviors’ coming would help to change our lives for the better.     

‘’DecencyWrites.