Prepare the Way
With the onset of Advent, we begin a new liturgical year. The term ‘advent’ comes from the Latin ‘Adventus Domini’ – that is, “the Coming of the Lord.” It is linked to the Hebrew term “Maranatha” (see 1 Cor 16:22). Scriptural scholars have long debated if that then should be interpreted in the subjunctive or declarative sense. It could be the early Christians expressing a hope-filled prayer, “[May] Our Lord come,” or a professing of their faith in a creed-like statement, “The Lord Comes.”
Both interpretations seem equally valid and harmonize well with Advent themes. After all, the saints remind us that Advent is a time to prepare for (at least) three comings of Our Lord. [1] We recall His first coming two thousand years ago at Bethlehem through the immaculate womb of the Blessed Virgin Mary. [2] We look forward to His Second Coming upon the clouds in majesty at the End of Time (the subjunctive hope-filled prayer). And [3] He comes to us today in the Holy Eucharist through the hands of the priest and Holy Mother Church (declarative profession of faith).
It’s Advent, Not Christmas
Advent is an important liturgical season. Yet many Catholics neglect it on account of the hustle and bustle of “the season.” We spend time shopping, baking, listening to Christmas music, going to parties, and stressing about family get togethers. Yet we are currently in Advent and Advent is not Christmas.
“Be not conformed to this world; but be reformed in the newness of your mind, that you may prove what is the good, and the acceptable, and the perfect will of God” (Romans 12:2)
Let us make it a point to prepare well in Advent. We should strive to make ready our hearts and homes for the Coming of Christ. We are to clothe ourselves in Christ (cf. Rom 13:14) so that there is truly a change in our ‘spiritual garment’ from before Advent to the Eve of Christmas. There is no better gift we can give Our Lord than interior conversion and devout reparation.
Here are some simple ideas for Advent. Attend Holy Mass during the week. Pray the Christmas Novena. Give up sweets for Advent. Don’t watch any movies during Advent. Don’t listen to Christmas music during Advent. Save that music for the Christmas season and listen to Gregorian chant instead during Advent (you can have have it softly piping through the home, as exorcists have said demons hate chant and flee from it). Strive for a greater spirit of peace and silence in the home. Eat one family meal in silence. Listen to good Catholic sermons (find many such sermons at St. Vincent Ferrer’s website). Increase your almsgiving. Become a monthly donor to The Fatima Center. Spend 15 minutes each day on meditation; you can use St. Alphonsus’ Advent Meditations. Identify a bad habit (vice) and eliminate it by countering with an opposing virtue. Make a Spiritual Communion each day. Offer prayers of reparation any time you hear someone blaspheme God’s Holy Name (e.g., The Divine Praises, the Golden Arrow, or various ejaculatory prayers).
You can surely tailor some Advent spiritual practices for yourself. The key is to have a deliberate and conscious Advent plan. Then commit to it and persevere. Even when you fail, ask God for forgiveness, renew your commitment, and keep at it.
Feast after the Fast
Following four weeks of spiritual preparation, which should include increased prayer, fasting and almsgiving, we celebrate the great Octave of Christmas. Our joyful celebration extends into “The Twelve Days of Christmas,” ending on January 6, and even covers the entire Christmas season, which ends on February 2, the Feast of Our Lady’s Purification and the Presentation of Our Lord in the Temple.
One of the highlights of the Christmas season for our family is the Feast of the Epiphany (January 6).[1] On this day we exchange and open our presents.[2] This calls to mind how the Three Kings presented Our Lord with the gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. Christ rightly received gold because He is the King of kings, frankincense because He is the Eternal High Priest, and myrrh because He assumed a human nature to suffer, die, and be buried for us men and for our salvation. In terms of our spiritual gifts to the Christ Child, the gold can represent our loving adoration, the frankincense our trusting prayers, and the myrrh our penance and mortifications.
Get Your Home Blessed
January 6 also marks the only day on which Holy Mother Church blesses chalk for the Epiphany home blessing. (Download the text for the home blessing HERE.) On the previous day, the Vigil of the Epiphany, Holy Mother Church blesses the Epiphany water.[3] These are two powerful sacramentals which are unique in that they must be blessed on particular calendar days. Both of these sacramentals may then be used anytime during the Christmas season for the annual Epiphany home blessing.
In the upcoming days we will post more articles regarding this wonderful Catholic tradition.
We encourage you to invite your priest to your home so that he may impart the Epiphany blessing. Yet we are acutely aware of how few priests we have and how difficult it is for them to visit all the families in the parish. The Church does allow the head of the household to say a prayer and use blessed Epiphany chalk to mark the doorways of your home thus:
20 + C + M + B + 25
This sacramental does require the chalk which is blessed on January 6. Therefore, I suggest you talk to your parish priest about this blessing ahead of time and help provide chalk for him to bless on January 6.
Blessed Chalk from The Fatima Center
If you are unable to receive a positive response from your parish priest or live too far away, but still want the blessed chalk, then please contact The Fatima Center. We will have a quantity of chalk blessed on the Feast of the Epiphany for our supporters. You can fill out the form below to request one piece of blessed chalk. We will mail out this blessed sacramental as long as our supplies last, on a first-come-first-serve basis. As a blessed sacramental, there is no charge for the chalk. We ask only a small donation to cover shipping expenses.
ENDNOTES:
[1] The word ‘Epiphany’ refers to a great self-revelation, or manifestation, of God. Three important events from the life of Our Lord are celebrated on the Feast of the Epiphany: [1] the Magi finding the Child with Mary His Mother, adoring Him and offering Him precious gifts (cf. Matthew 2:11); [2] the Baptism of Jesus by John in the Jordan River (recounted in all four Gospels); and [3] Our Lord’s first public miracle of turning water into wine at the Wedding feast at Cana (cf. John 2:1-11).
The Epiphany home blessing recalls all three. The symbols “C + M + B” name the three Magi and seek their intercession. The use of Epiphany water calls to mind the waters of the Jordan River and Baptism. The blessing of a home bestows grace on the family and the marriage which has begotten the family, which clearly recalls Our Lord’s blessing of the Wedding at Cana with a superabundance of wine, which can represent grace.
[2] We picked up this family tradition while living in Bavaria in the early 1980s. At that time, the two major days on which Bavarian Catholics gave gifts were December 6 and January 6.
On the Feast of St. Nicholas children receive chocolates, fruits, and other small goodies in their house shoes. The larger gifts were given on January 6 in honor of the Three Kings. Our homes were also visited by fellow parishioners who dressed as the Three Kings in the company of the priest. The priest would bless each home and mark the 20+C+M+B+25 upon our doors. The group would then continue on to the next house, singing carols. Members living in the recently blessed home might then join the impromptu procession to the next Catholic home. Many homes provided Christmas drinks and treats for the ‘pilgrims’ who brought song, joy and sacramentals.
My family chose to keep the tradition of giving gifts on January 6 to help resist the secular materialism which has invaded December 25. It helps us keep a much greater spiritual focus on December 25 and to celebrate the truths of our Faith and the Coming of Our Lord. This also means we don’t worry about Christmas shopping during Advent and more easily maintain its spirit of penance. (An added bonus is we get full advantage of all the after-Christmas specials and discounts when buying presents.) This is a counter-cultural stand, and we’ve had to endure some ridicule and eyebrow raising from others, but the benefits far outweigh any negatives. How good it is to be Catholic!
[3] The blessing of the Epiphany water is a very long, involved and powerful blessing. I have witnessed it and saw it took Fr. Michael Rodríguez more than 45 minutes to complete this blessing. This is considerable given that the prayers in the Rituale for the blessing of regular holy water usually take the priest a minute or two.