THE SEASON WE CALL ADVENT

Mark Biolo

What, exactly, does "Advent" mean?

The word advent comes from the Latin adventus which means "arrival". The term was used in a secular context in days of old to denote the coming or arrival of the emperor or in some cases pagan gods.

The origins of Advent as we know it are not primarily western yet Advent is much more highly developed in the West. The season actually has mixed origins, and there are various opinions of how it arose. Before the time of Justinian (527 – 565, the period when paganism lost its struggle to survive in the Roman Empire) there was a mobile feast of Mary on the Sunday before Christmas celebrating the conception of Jesus. This feast was retained in both the East and the West and on the preceding Sunday the conception of John the Baptist was celebrated. Called the "Weeks of Annunciations" in the Syriac tradition, this period expanded into Advent in all the Eastern traditions.

The focus of Advent in the East was the Epiphany of Christ at His baptism. (In the East, Epiphany, which means manifestation, has always been celebrated on Jan 6 but with the focus on Christ’s baptism in the Jordan. In the West, Epiphany has developed into a much different celebration with the emphasis on Jesus’ manifestation to the Gentiles as represented by the magi.) Thus, in the East the initiation of catechumens was celebrated at Christmastime and Advent was a time of preparation for baptism. This period was of varying lengths of time ranging from an unspecified period in the Coptic tradition, to forty days in the Byzantine tradition, fifty days in the Armenian tradition, and ten weeks in the Ethiopian tradition.

Rome, however, had no tradition of baptism at Christmas, for the Western focus of Christmas had shifted to the manger scene at Bethlehem. In the West the pagan feast of adventus celebrated the coming of a god to his temple to be with the people or the coming of a god as emperor. This concept was eventually carried into the Christian observance of Advent as the faithful wait with joyful expectation for the return of Christ as king and judge at the end of time. This celebration of Advent in the West made its debut at the end of the fifth century in Spain and Gaul as a five to six week preparation period. It spread to northern Italy in the sixth century and when it was adopted in Rome at the time of Gregory the Great, its duration was reduced to four weeks.

In the Church this four-week season inaugurates the entire liturgical year. That is to say, the First Sunday of Advent, not January 1, marks the beginning of the new Church year. Advent and Christmastime together make up the Incarnation Cycle of the liturgical year. So Advent comes at the beginning of the liturgical year but at the end of the calendar year. As such, the season elicits contemplation of the past, present, and future. The season easily evolved in the northern hemisphere where the natural signs of the end of the year are days with ever-decreasing hours of light, falling temperatures and snow, and dormancy of trees, shrubs, and flowers. It is naturally a time to long for the return of light, warmth, and living things; a time to await a rescuer, a savior.

Advent is a period of devout and joyful expectation and a season of preparation. It is a season to prepare for Christmas when we remember Christ’s first coming; and as a season when that remembrance directs the mind and heart to await the Christ’s second coming at the end of time.

Advent, then, is about the coming of Jesus: the coming of Jesus the human babe of Bethlehem, the coming of Jesus as king and judge at the end of time, the coming of Jesus into our lives now. Advent is preparation for the remembering of the Incarnation. Advent is also preparation for the fulfillment of God’s kingdom. And, as St. Bernard wrote, the coming of Jesus into our personal lives here and now allows us to pass from the first coming to the final coming.

In the Middle Ages, probably under the influence of Irish monks, the eschatological (end times) focus was largely superseded by a penitential focus. Fear of the final judgment associated with the second coming led to the need for repentance. This view of Advent began in Gaul and spread throughout the western Church. Liturgical renewal after Vatican II, however, restored Advent as a season for the threefold coming of Christ: past, present, and future. The penitential backdrop remains to a degree and this and the notion of preparation are why the color of Advent is violet. On the Third Sunday of Advent, Gaudete or Rejoice Sunday (in anticipation of soon arriving Christmas), the color rose may come into the scheme.

The Gospels of the four Sundays of Advent always follow the same pattern. The first week presents Jesus’ vision of the second coming. The second and third weeks present John the Baptist, and the fourth week tells part of the story leading up to the first Christmas Day. Most years, the prophet Isaiah, whose major themes include messianic salvation and God’s plan for the world, dominates the first readings of Advent. In Year C of the lectionary cycle, however, Isaiah steps aside so we can hear some of the glorious prophesies from Jeremiah, Baruch, Zephania, and Micah. Isaiah always provides the first reading for the Office of Readings in the Liturgy of the Hours throughout all of Advent.

Probably the most popular Advent tradition is the lighting of the candles on the Advent Wreath. This custom originated among Lutherans in Germany in the 16^th century and quickly became popular in other areas. There had always been a festival of burning special lights and fire at the end of November in Germanic lands as the darkness of winter becomes more severe. In the 1500s, it took on a distinct Christian symbolism as the Advent Wreath, first among Lutherans in eastern Germany and then among all German Protestants and Catholics. The tradition came to America with the German immigrants and became quite popular following the liturgical movement of the mid-1900s. The wreath is made of evergreens and contains 4 candles, one for each week of Advent. The color of the candles is not an essential factor because the symbolism is primarily in the flame. It is popular, however, that three of the candles be violet, the traditional color of Advent. One is rose, the traditional color of the Third Sunday of Advent, originally called Gaudete ("Rejoice") Sunday from the first word of the entrance antiphon for Mass that day.

After the wreath is blessed on the First Sunday of Advent, a prayer is prayed and a candle is lit. This ceremony repeats on each of the following Sundays. Light increases, pushing out darkness, with another candle lit until all four are burning.

Wreaths have always been symbolic of victory and glory. The symbolism of the Advent Wreath, however, goes beyond this. It lies in the tension between darkness and light. It represents the long time when people lived in spiritual darkness, waiting for the coming of the Messiah, the light of the world. Each year in Advent people wait once again in darkness for the coming of the Lord, his historical coming in the mystery of Bethlehem, his final coming at the end of time, and his special coming at every moment of grace.

For a nice little summary of the theology of Advent, look at the prayer that Jesus taught us, the Our Father. In it we call upon God as our Father, whose name we honor, and we ask that God’s kingdom will come on earth and be fulfilled among us now. And as we conclude this prayer at Mass the priest says, "We wait in joyful hope for the coming of our Savior, Jesus Christ." When we gather to celebrate the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass, the Church is most fully made visible as a sign that the kingdom has already begun. St. Paul wrote to the Corinthians that, "We proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes"(1 Cor 11:26). Our words of the remembrance summarize the meaning of Advent: Christ (was born) has died; Christ has risen; Christ will come again. Advent recalls the historical birth of Jesus in time, but always looks ahead to eternity to grasp the full meaning of that birth.