Advent Rituals

"O come, O come, Emmanuel!" -- traditional hymn

I love Advent and I love it even more, in some ways, than Christmas itself. Is it disrespectful to admit this?

Advent is a season of reflection, yes. But it lacks the solitude and dark thoughts of Lent. During Lent, I spend a lot of solitary, quiet time with God and Jesus. I examine my conscience and my soul. I dig deeply and confess my faults. I make resolutions to expand my faith, to become more committed to God in my life.

All this peaceful contemplation can certainly occur during Advent too. But there is more joy to my prayer during Advent. I wait in hopeful expectation for the coming of God's son.

I remember as a child being so excited about Christmas arriving, that when I was put to bed, I was beside myself with anticipation. I would squeal and kick my feet so hard, all the covers would fall off the bed and onto the floor!

The anticipation about Christmas is one of the best parts. I want to be this excited about Christmas every year. I believe that God and Jesus want us to experience this joy too.

Advent is a "feeling" in our hearts. It is also a season in which we prepare for Christmas.  I want to prepare myself peacefully and mindfully, though.

I had a family member who would say every year, "I HATE Christmas!" This was because the preparations for that awesome day were nothing but a burden to him. He would stress about what gifts to buy for everyone, he would stress about how much money he was spending, he would stress about who was hosting Christmas dinner and what food there would be to eat.

We really need our Advent rituals to force us to slow down. To me, Advent is not about a race to the finish line of Christmas Day Nor is it -- as with Lent-- going off by myself to meditate. It is about being together with family and loved ones, and truly remembering what Christmas is really about-- the birth of Jesus.

The ritual of the Advent wreath has been around since at least the Middle Ages. An Advent wreath can be made of any evergreen boughs that you have on hand locally. I can even imagine a lovely wreath made of woven grape vines. The wreath is set flat on a table. Four taper candles are placed around the cricle of the wreath, three of them purple and one pink. In the center of the wreath is placed a large white pillar candle. The wreath is lit each evening after reciting grace at the dinner table.

The father says a prayer or blessing over the wreath each evening. Then, in the first week of Advent one purple candle is lit. The second purple candle is lit the second week, along with the first. The pink candle is lit the third week, along with the other two. The pink candle is to symbolize the joy that Christmas is almost here! The last week before Christmas, all the candles are lit. On Christmas eve, all the candles are lit, along with the white candle in the center. The white candle symbolizes Christ.

I never realized this, but each family member gets a turn to light candles. In the first week, the youngest family member lights the candle. In the second week, the oldest child lights two candles. The next week, the mother lights three candles, including the pink candle; and in the last week, the father lights all four candles.

For more information on the ritual of the Advent wreath, check out "the history of the Advent Wreath" at www.catholiceducation.org.

Lord, in all my preparations for Christmas, I pray that I may experience the peace and joy of Advent, as I await the birth of Your Son.

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