Second Sunday of Advent

 

Advent 2: To Wait & To Celebrate Waiting is first of all a waiting together. One of the most beautiful passages of Scripture is Luke 1: 39-56, which tells us about Mary’s visit to Elizabeth. What happened when Mary received the words of promise? She went to Elizabeth. Something was happening to Elizabeth as well as to Mary. But how could they live that out? I find the meeting of these two women very moving, because Elizabeth and Mary came together and enabled each other to wait. Mary’s visit made Elizabeth aware of what she was waiting for. The child leapt for joy in her. Mary affirmed Elizabeth’s waiting. And then Elizabeth said to Mary, “Blessed is she who believed that the promise made to her by the Lord would be fulfilled” (Luke 1:45). And Mary responded, “My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord” (Luke 1:46). She burst into joy herself. These two women created space for each other to wait: They affirmed for each other that something was happening worth waiting for. Here we see a model for the Christian community. It is a community of support, celebration, and affirmation in which we can lift up what has already begun in us. The visit of Mary to Elizabeth is one of the Bible’s most beautiful expressions of what it means to form community, to be together, gathered around a promise, affirming what is happening among us.

A brief history of Advent

 

The Catholic History and Tradition of Advent

 

 Advent, derived from the Latin word adventus meaning "coming" or "arrival," is a period of preparation and anticipation in the Catholic Church, marking the beginning of the liturgical year. This season spans four weeks leading up to Christmas and is dedicated to preparing for the birth of Jesus Christ and His second coming.

Historical Origins: The origins of Advent date back to the early Church. Initially, it wasn't directly associated with Christmas but was a time of preparation for the feast of Epiphany, which celebrated Jesus' baptism, the visit of the Magi, and other events. By the 6th century, Advent had become more aligned with the anticipation of Christ's birth. The formalization of this season within the liturgical calendar evolved over the centuries, with Pope Gregory I (590-604 AD) playing a significant role in shaping its structure and focus.

Liturgical Significance: The liturgical color of Advent is purple, symbolizing penance, preparation, and sacrifice. On the third Sunday of Advent, known as Gaudete Sunday, the color rose is used, signifying joy as the faithful draw closer to Christmas. The Advent wreath, a key symbol, comprises four candles arranged on a wreath of evergreen. One candle is lit each Sunday, with three purple candles and one rose candle for Gaudete Sunday. This ritual highlights the themes of hope, love, joy, and peace.

Scriptural Themes: The readings during Advent emphasize the prophetic announcements of Christ's coming, both in the Old Testament and in the Gospels. They focus on themes of vigilance, repentance, and joyful expectation. Key figures such as Isaiah, John the Baptist, and the Virgin Mary are central to Advent reflections.

Modern Traditions: Today, Advent is celebrated with various customs that enhance spiritual readiness. Advent calendars, which count down the days to Christmas, often include scripture passages, prayers, or small gifts. The Jesse Tree tradition traces Jesus' genealogy and recounts salvation history. Many Catholics also partake in the Sacrament of Reconciliation during Advent, seeking spiritual renewal.

Advent's rich history and traditions invite believers to prepare their hearts and minds for the celebration of Christ's birth and to reflect on the ultimate hope of His return. This season encourages a deeper connection with the faith and a renewed commitment to living out the message of the Gospel.

How do you celebrate Advent with your family?

Thoughts for the second Sunday of Advent

Reflection for Second Sunday of Advent



In August 1963 Martin Luther King, Jr. gave his famous “I Have a Dream” speech in which he echoed the dreams and hopes of God, proclaimed by the prophets of our Advent season: all of God’s children gathered and led in glory and joy, accompanied by mercy and justice—all the obstacles to peace removed, and the divisions among us healed and overcome.

 Like both the prophets in our Sunday readings (Baruch and John the Baptist) he realized that he might never live to see all the hopes of God realized. What he foretold in hope was that this Dream that God has revealed to us could be fulfilled through our love and actions—at least in whatever ways our hearts are opened, and our faith is strengthened in our own time of turmoil and confusion.

Our Sunday readings are filled with references to joy and hope. And the secret to this joy and hope lies in our hearts being open to the possibilities in our midst today. If our hearts are turned towards the hopes and dreams of our Savior, then Advent can be celebrated as a time of joy. We pray that through the grace of God we will deepen our awareness of this love and keep the dream alive within us.

The God of history still finds us and comes to meet us—calling us to abound in love for one another and in hope for the fulfillment of the Dream.

Len Kraus, S.J.

Thoughts on hope

 

Hope

When we live with hope we do not get tangled up with concerns for how our wishes will be fulfilled. So, too, our prayers are not directed toward the gift but toward the One who gives it. Ultimately, it is not a question of having a wish come true but of expressing an unlimited faith in the giver of all good things. . . . Hope is based on the premise that the other gives only what is good. Hope includes an openness by which you wait for the promise to come through, even though you never know when, where, or how this might happen. Henri Nouwen

Advent Prayer

 

A prayer for the first week of Advent

Lord of all,
you are a God of plenty, a Lord who provides
for us in our need.
As I begin these early days of Advent
help me to believe that you know what I need.
Give me the courage to listen to your voice
and the freedom
to open my heart to the graces you are
offering me to place my trust in you.

Amen

—via Creighton University

Thoughts on Waiting

Active Waiting Most of us consider waiting as something very passive, a hopeless state determined by events totally out of our hands. The bus is late? We cannot do anything about it, so we have to sit there and just wait. It is not difficult to understand the irritation people feel when somebody says, “Just wait.” Words like that push us into passivity. But there is none of this passivity in Scripture. Those who are waiting are waiting very actively. They know that what they are waiting for is growing from the ground on which they are standing. Right here is a secret for us about waiting. If we wait in the conviction that a seed has been planted and that something has already begun, it changes the way we wait. Active waiting implies being fully present to the moment with the conviction that something is happening where we are and that we want to be present to it. A waiting person is someone who is present to the moment, believing that this moment is the moment. 

 Henri Nouwen

The First Sunday of Advent

 

The first Sunday of Advent marks the beginning of the liturgical year in the Christian calendar and the start of the Advent season, a period of preparation and anticipation for the coming of Christ at Christmas. Traditionally, this Sunday is associated with themes of hope and expectation.

Hope is the central theme. Christians are called to reflect on the hope that Christ brings into the world, both in His first coming at Bethlehem and in His promised second coming at the end of time. The readings and prayers during this period often focus on the prophecies of the Old Testament, which foretold the coming of the Messiah, and the Gospel messages that urge believers to stay vigilant and prepared for Christ's return.

During the first Sunday of Advent, the lighting of the first candle on the Advent wreath, typically called the "Prophet's Candle" or "Hope Candle," symbolizes this hope. It reminds the faithful of the light of Christ that is coming into a world often darkened by sin and despair.

Advent is also a time for personal reflection and preparation. It's a period for Christians to contemplate their own spiritual readiness and to engage in practices such as prayer, penance, and acts of charity. This season encourages a deepening of faith and a renewed commitment to live according to the teachings of Christ.

The first Sunday of Advent sets the tone for this reflective and hopeful journey towards Christmas, inviting believers to open their hearts to the transformative power of Christ's coming.