Nov. 26, 2014 By Marika Donders Advent starts November 30 this year. It begins the new liturgical year. It is a time of waiting, anticipation and renewal. What is it that we are waiting for? Or rather, Who is it that we await? For many of us, Advent can be a hectic time of year. The catalogs that clog our mailboxes and the TV commercials blare at us that there are only 25, 24, 23 shopping days left and we must get that one right gadget, toy or gift or Christmas will simply be ruined! And so we rush around, hunt for a space in a crowded mall parking lot and brave the mob scenes and the cash register lines. Afterwards, we go outside, breathe a sigh of relief and pray that we can remember where we parked. When you go to those crowded malls and shopping centers, remember the line from How the Grinch Stole Christmas, “What if Christmas...doesn't come from a store. What if Christmas...perhaps...means a little bit more..." So what can we do to live this Advent a little more intentionally and not let this beautiful time of preparation get lost in the noise of commercialism and the busy-ness of shopping, baking, office parties, planning trips, packing and traveling? How can we bring the focus back to preparing to receive Christ at Christmas so that we are not too exhausted to actually celebrate and enjoy the season? Perhaps one of the simplest things is to go back to some old traditions: Advent Calendars, Jesse Trees, Advent Wreaths, and sharing the story of Christmas through a simple nativity scene, or a booklet of reflections on the scriptures. There are a wide variety of advent calendars. As a kid, my favorite kind had a piece of chocolate behind each door. As I got older, roommates and I had a tall thin candle that we marked with a permanent marker into 25 equally-spaced numbered lines. Every night in December, just before we would head to bed, we would turn out all the lights, we would share a prayer of something we hoped for, sing O Come O Come Emanuel, and then we would light the candle until it burned to the next line. It was a great way to end each day in anticipation of the Light of Christ that is to come. Another way to mark the time is to set up a manger scene and rather than adding all the characters all at once in the beginning, add one piece at a time until the manger scene is complete at Christmas, with the three wise man finally being added on the feast of Epiphany. If you have little kids (and non-breakable manger scene pieces), you could even start the pieces all over the house and every day let the children move the pieces closer and closer to the manger. Or use as traditional Advent wreath with another candle being lit each week of Advent. Many of these traditional elements with the accompanying prayers can be found on the USCCB website at http://www.usccb.org/prayer-and-worship/liturgical-year/advent/index.cfm There are also wonderful books and booklets available to spend a few moments every day in prayer and reflection. In our hectic lives, unless we actually plan and schedule prayer, it won't happen. Many parishes will have some resources available, but if not, here are some suggestions: There are of course many more resources available to help you pray and spend some quiet time reflecting on the gift of faith this season. There are also many free online resources. For some of those, see the Office of Evangelization's blog at www.rcdony.org/evangelization/blog
CNS photo/Nancy Wiechec
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