RELIGIOUS EDUCATION_SPECIAL LESSON_ADVENT

SPECIAL LESSON: ADVENT

I. What is Advent?
The word “Advent” comes from the
Latin language “adventus” which is translated
literally as “arrival” or ‘coming.” In the
Liturgical Year, Advent is the season of
preparation for Christ’s coming. There are two-
fold coming of Christ which we await in Advent
season: 1) Jesus’ first coming at Christmas and
2) Jesus’ second coming at the end of time.

The Time of Advent

Advent marks the beginning of the Church’s Liturgical Year. In Western
Christianity, the season of Advent begins on the fourth Sunday before Christmas Day, or
the Sunday which falls closest to November 30, and ends before the Christmas Eve on
December 24. When Christmas Eve falls on a Sunday, it is the last or fourth Sunday of
Advent.

Denominations That Celebrate Advent

Advent is primarily observed in Christian churches that follow an ecclesiastical
calendar of liturgical seasons to determine feasts, memorials, fasts and holy days. These
denominations include Catholic, Orthodox, Anglican /Episcopalian, Lutheran, Methodist,
and Presbyterian churches.
Nowadays, however, more and more Protestant and Evangelical Christians are
recognizing the spiritual significance of Advent, and have begun to revive the spirit of the
season through serious reflection, joyful expectation, and through observing traditional
Advent customs.

II. Meaning and Spirit of Advent

The season of Advent has a two-fold character. It is time of preparation for
Christmas when the first coming of Jesus (the Word made flesh) to humankind is recalled.
Advent is also a season that directs our hearts and mind to Christ’s second coming at the
end of time.

a. It is a preparation time for Christmas

This aspect and understanding of Advent is at the very roots of this season. This
first aspect of Advent season is particularly meditated in the days from December 17 to
December 24. In this period, we are looking back to what happened more than two-
thousand years ago in the first coming of
Christ, in his coming in humility in our human
flesh. Since we are recalling and looking back,
we can call this the retrospective aspect of this
season.
By recalling the events preceding the
incarnation, we should develop some special
attitudes: (1) We should come to a renewed and

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deep appreciation of this great mystery of God becoming one of us in all things except sin.
“Christian, remember your dignity now that you share in God’s own nature” (Pope Leo the
Great): this is what it should be reflected about during this part of Advent so that we will
celebrate the coming Christmas feast properly prepared. (2) These few days before
Christmas should bring us also to a better understanding of the history of salvation.
Looking back how God prepared the way for his Messiah in the history of Israel, we can
only marvel at the wisdom and the wonderful plan. In spite of human weakness and failure,
against sin, rejection and unfaithfulness from part of man, God found his way to bring
salvation to mankind and to educate his people. That is why several Church Fathers speak
of God as the great “pedagogue.” (3) And finally, this part of Advent should bring us to a
new longing for Christ. Listening to and meditating about the events which led up to his
coming as man, we should grow in desire for his coming in glory at the end of time and for
his coming in mystery in the sacrament of the Church.

b. It is a preparation time for the final coming of the Lord

Advent is the season when our minds are directed to Christ’s second coming; this is
done mainly in the first part of the season: from the beginning of advent season up to
December 16 inclusive.
The final coming in glory is closely connected with the incarnation, in fact, the
second coming is the fulfillment of the first one. In the incarnation of Jesus, a process was
begun which is going through the centuries and leading up to that day when everything will
be put under the feet of Jesus and God will be all in all (cf. 1 Cor 15:27f).
The Advent season – and in a special way its first part is the time of great expectation
of the final coming of our Redeemer and therefore, a time of great joy. Such a joyful
looking forward to the day of the Lord is to a great extent missing in the life of the
Christians, and that is why, it is important to make good use of the Advent season to bring
back this lost dimension, so essential to the Christian existence. The Christians of early
times had a great longing for the coming of the Day of the Lord. The joyous shout
“Maranatha,” “Come, Lord,” or “Our Lord has come” was an integral part of the early
Christian prayer.
Advent also has a penitential character. Christ will come as a merciful judge.
Advent is also a time when a follower of Christ must acknowledge honestly and sincerely
that he does not always live up to his calling and so it is in the very nature of Advent to be
a time of penance and a time to return. The aspect of joy and penitential character must go
together and since we are expecting a judge of mercy, the attitude of joyful expectations
must have priority.
The season of Advent calls for both: joy and penance, reverential fear and love. And
so it is very meaningful to propose to the faithful a kind of penitential agenda for this period
by which they can prepare themselves for the Christmas feast and also get ready for the
final coming of the Lord, but always keeping in mind that the spirit of Joy must permeate
the whole season.

c. It is the time of the coming of Christ in mystery

The coming of Christ in mystery – that is the coming of Christ now, in present
moment, in the sacraments and in the gatherings of his people here on earth –stands
between the first coming of Christ in his incarnation and his future coming at the end of
time. It is his coming in the present time, hidden under signs and symbols, to strengthen
his pilgrim church and to help them to look forward with confidence to his final coming.

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The looking back and remembering of his first coming, we call the retrospective
dimension of Advent; the looking forward to his second coming, we call the prospective
dimension of Advent; the coming of Christ in mystery could be could the aspective
dimension of Advent, namely, the one which concerns and affects the present situation.
The coming of Christ in mystery is the bridge between the first and the second
coming. When the Christian community gathers to celebrate the memory of the Lord, she
does and can do this only because of his first coming.
The liturgy (official public worship of the Church) is
essentially a looking back to the Christ-event,
commemorating it with gratitude and doing in obedience
of what Jesus commanded us to do. Once a Christian
community gathers to celebrate the risen Lord in the
Holy Mass, they are also looking forward to his second
and final coming. Every Liturgy of the Church looks
back and looks forward and in this way connects the first
coming with the second coming of the Lord. In the
Liturgy, the coming of Christ is going on already now, it
is Advent in the present.

III. Symbols and Customs

Many different variations and interpretations of Advent customs exist today,
depending on the denomination and the type of service being observed. The following
symbols and customs provide an overview only and do not represent an exhaustive
resource for all Christian traditions.
Some Christians choose to incorporate Advent activities into their family holiday
traditions, even when their church does not formally recognize a season of Advent. They
do this as a way of keeping Christ at the center of their Christmas celebrations. Family
worship around the Advent wreath, Jesse Tree, or Nativity can make the Christmas season
all the more meaningful. Some families may choose to not put up Christmas decorations
until Christmas Eve as a way of focusing on the idea that Christmas is not yet here.
Different denominations utilize certain symbolism during the season as well. For
instance, in the Catholic Church, priests wear purple vestments during the season (just like
they do during Lent, the other "preparatory" liturgical season), and stop praying the
"Gloria" during Mass until Christmas.

Advent Wreath
Lighting an Advent wreath is a custom that began with Lutherans and Catholics in
16th-century Germany. Typically, the Advent wreath is a circle of branches or garland
with four or five candles arranged on the wreath.
During the season of Advent, one candle on the
wreath is lit each Sunday as a part of the corporate
Advent services.
Many Christian families enjoy making their
own Advent Wreath as part of celebrating the season
at home as well. The traditional structure involves
three purple candles and one rose pink one, set in a
wreath, and often with a single, larger white candle in
the center. One more candle is lit each week of Advent.

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Advent Colors
The advent candles and their colors are packed with rich meaning. Each represents
a specific aspect of the spiritual preparations for Christmas.
The three main colors are purple, pink, and white. Purple symbolizes repentance and
royalty. (In the Catholic church, purple is also the liturgical color at this time of year.) Pink
represents joy and rejoicing. And white stands for purity and light.

The Jesse Tree

What is Jesse Tree?
Jesse Tree is a way of preparing for Advent by journeying through the stories on
Jesus’s family tree. The Jesse Tree represents the family tree, or genealogy, of Jesus
Christ. It can be used to tell the story of salvation, beginning with creation and continuing
until the coming of the Messiah. Each
day of Advent, read a Bible story
about someone on Jesus’s family tree
and hang an ornament symbolizing the
story on your Jesse Tree. As you
decorate your tree, you’ll see how God
prepared for Jesus to be born through
many generations.
Where does Jesse Tree come from?
The Jesse Tree tradition is
rooted in Isaiah 11:1: “A shoot shall
come out from the stump of Jesse, and
a branch shall grow out of his roots.”
Jesse was the father of David, Israel’s
greatest king. And Jesus is descended
from the line of David. He is the
branch God promised would grow
from Jesse’s family tree. Each symbol
represents a story from within this
family tree and a step toward the birth of Jesus.

Santa Claus (Saint Nicholas)

Saint Nicholas is one of the most popular saints in the West despite his being a
bishop in the East. Every year on his feast day on the 6th of December in many places, all
kinds of traditional celebrations are going on in his honor which prove how appreciated
this saint is by young and old, by rich and poor alike.
The person of St. Nicholas became known and dear mainly through many legends
but historical facts we know very little, practically only that he lived in the 4th century and
was a bishop of Myra (today: Demre in Turkey). After St. Nicholas’ death, his tomb
became a great pilgrimage place. In the 11th century, Myra was not a safe place anymore
because of the war between Muslims and Christians; much looting was done also in the
place where St. Nicholas was buried and venerated. That is why in 1087, some Italian
merchants brought the relics of the Saint to Bari (Italy) where they are venerated today.
According to the legend, St. Nicholas helped three young girls of a poor family from
becoming prostitutes by giving money to them and alleviating their poverty. According to
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another legend, he brought back to life three young boys who were killed. There are many
more miracle stories which show the Saint as a powerful intercessor and a great helper in
all kinds of needs, especially as a great friend of the poor and of children. Based on the
legends, the popular traditions present him as the bringer of gifts to children, poor and
lonely people. On the 6th of December in many parts of the world, St. Nicholas is going
around dressed as a bishop, sometimes accompanied by children dressed as angels, and
brings gifts to children, sick people, prisoners and old folk. Together with the gifts he gives
also admonition and consolation.
The cult of St. Nicholas and the popular traditions connected with it spread all over
the world. Especially the Dutch people appreciated the Saint whom they called “Sinter
Klaas”; once they emigrated to America and established the colony of New Amsterdam
(1614) from which developed New York, they took along the popular tradition of Sinter
Klaas which was anglicized and became “Santa Claus” (the pronunciation of Sinter Klaas
and Santa Claus is almost the same). Unhappily, Santa Claus lost its original religious
meaning and became very much commercialized.
Evaluating the Advent traditions of St. Nicholas, we can say that they fit well into
the season of Advent, especially in the first part when we are looking forward to the second
coming of the Lord, namely, by living a life of faith which manifests itself in good works
and by reaching out to others who are in need.

Preparing the Manger

Preparing the manger is the practice of preparing a soft bedding in the manger for
the Christ Child by using little wisps of straw as tokens of prayers and good works
performed through the penitential season of Advent. This is originally a French custom that
quickly spread to other countries. Every night the child is allowed to put in the crib one
straw for each act of devotion, good work or sacrifice performed. "Thus the Christ Child,
coming on Christmas Day, finds an ample supply of tender
straw to keep Him warm and to soften the hardness of the
manger's boards" (Francis Weiser, Handbook of Christian
Feasts and Customs, 1958).
The crib or manger represents our hearts as we prepare for
Christ as He comes in threefold way: 1) coming in the past, at
Bethlehem, 2) coming in the present, in Mass and into our
souls through grace and through Holy Communion, and 3)
coming in the future, at the Last Judgment.
Although preparing the manger is geared toward children,
so that they can see an external expression of their good works "piling up", this is a custom
the whole family can practice. You can choose to have one large crib, in the main part of
the house. This will be the manger that everyone will contribute their straws.
On Christmas Eve, the house is darkened while the family processes with lighted
candles and the youngest holding the baby Jesus, singing Silent Night. The baby is placed
in the manger, and the Gospel of Luke 2:15-20 is read, various prayers said, including the
blessing of the crib, and then O Come All Ye Faithful is sung.

Learning Resources
Raas, Bernhard. Liturgical Year, vol. 1. Metro Manila: Logos Publications, Inc. 1994.

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https://www.catholicculture.org/culture/liturgicalyear/activities/view.cfm?id=955

https://www.faithward.org/jesse-tree/

https://www.learnreligions.com/meaning-of-advent-700455

https://www.usccb.org/prayer-worship/liturgical-year/advent