Five days are standing between Advent and me! The beginning of the New Year always comes so quickly; inevitably, the Sundays after Pentecost seem to be lined up in an endless row, and then poof! the last one comes and goes before I’ve half-realized it. My missal ribbons have reached the ends of the liturgical year and so I’ve turned them all back to the very beginning, where they now lie waiting. Once again, I’m confronted with the same mental pile of plans, old traditions and new ideas for how to spiritually make the most of Advent: how to dig more deeply than I’ve ever done before.
In a spirit of penance and prayer we await the Mediator, the God-Man, preparing for His coming in the flesh, and also for His second coming as our Judge. The Masses for Advent strike a note of preparation and repentance mingled with joy and hope; hence, although the penitential violet is worn and the Gloria is omitted, the joyous Alleluia is retained. The readings from the Old Testament . . . taken mostly from the prophecies of Isais and the Psalms, give eloquent expression to the longing of all nations for a Redeemer. We are impressed by repeated and urgent appeals to the Messias: “Come, delay no longer.” The Lessons from St. Paul urge us to dispose ourselves fittingly for His coming. The Gospels describe the terrors of the Last Judgment, foretell the second coming, and tell of the preaching of St. John the Baptist “to prepare the way of the Lord.”
The idea of Advent is “Prepare you for the coming of Christ.” Therefore the very appeals of the Patriarchs and Prophets are put into our mouths in Advent. Prepare for the coming of Christ the Redeemer, Who comes to prepare us for His second coming as Judge.
–1962 Missal, pg. 135-136
Things have been so busy around here lately! Yesterday was a day for scouring, laundry, and trying to get some household/personal things back in order after the holiday. So I suppose it’s only natural that today’s sights are turning interiorly to discover what needs redirection. I’ve been sensing the need to be quiet, and to contemplate the purpose of Advent, and how I can best translate that purpose into my day-to-day once the season arrives. After all, every Advent is, simultaneously, old and brand-new.
When it comes to assembling a spiritual battle plan for Advent, there are, certainly, a lot of potential elements on the table. Most important: tradition insistently breathes penance into Advent. A few words from Fr. Zuhlsdorf stood out to me this morning:
I like to describe Advent as a season of joyful penance or, if you prefer, penitential joy. We can hold the two in a beautiful, fruitful tension.
Consider that Advent presents the figure of John the Baptist, who said: He must increase, I must decrease. Kenosis. Sounds penitential to me.
How is Our Lord asking me to cultivate the virtue of penitential joy this Advent?
Advent Prayers
Lasting from November 30th (the feast of St. Andrew) to December 24th, the St. Andrew Christmas “Novena” has been a part of my Advent for the past several years, and I’ve come to cherish it. Not only is it an opportunity to place a special intention before Our Lord and Our Lady throughout the holy season of Advent, but also, the words of the prayer itself, traditionally repeated fifteen times each day, evoke a special spirit of reverential, anticipated joy at the approaching Nativity of Our Lord. It’s something I’ll definitely be participating in again this year.
Here it is for PDF download (two copies per page) :: St. Andrew Christmas Novena
Hail, and blessed be the
hour & moment
in which
THE SON OF GOD WAS BORN
to the MOST PURE VIRGIN MARY,
at midnight, in Bethlehem,
in piercing cold.
I N T H A T H O U R , V O U C H S A F E ,
O My God,
to hear my prayers and grant my desires
through the merits of Our Savior, Jesus Christ, and His Blessed Mother.
A M E N.
The Creator Alme Siderum and Rorate Coeli are included in Sunday Vespers throughout Advent. I am thinking of trying to pray them regularly throughout the season, hopefully daily or at least a few times a week, since they’re specifically incorporated into the Advent liturgy of the Church. Perhaps our family will be doing some of these (I think we did last year), which might replace my doing it privately. Either way, I think they perfectly encapsulate the interior disposition we should have as we await the feast of Christmas!
C R E A T O R A L M E S I D E R U M
Creator of the stars of night,
Thy people’s everlasting light
Jesu, Redeemer, save us all,
And hear Thy servants when they call.
Thou, lest the demon’s ancient curse
Should doom to death a universe,
In love wast made, Thyself alone,
The means to save a world undone.
Towards the cross Thou wentest forth,
That Thou might’st heal the crimes of earth;
Proceeding from a virgin shrine,
The spotless Victim all divine.
At Whose dread name, majestic now,
All knees must bend all hearts must bow;
And things celestial Thee shall own,
And things terrestrial, Lord alone.
O Thou, Whose coming is with dread,
To judge and doom the quick and dead,
Thy heavenly grace on us bestow,
To shield us from our ghostly foe.
To God the Father, God the Son,
And God the Spirit, Three in One,
Laud, honor, might, and glory be
From age to age eternally. Amen.
—
R O R A T E C O E L I
Ye heavens, drop down the dew from above, and let the clouds rain down the just.
Be not angry, O Lord, remember no more our iniquities. Behold the city of the Holy One is deserted: Sion is laid desolate: Jerusalem is laid waste: the home of Thy sanctification and of Thy glory, where our fathers praised Thee.
Ye heavens, drop down the dew from above, and let the clouds rain down the just.
We have sinned, and we are become like the unclean; we are fallen like the leaves, and our sins, like the storm, have carried us away. Thou hast hidden Thy face from us, and hast thrown us into the power of our sins.
Ye heavens, drop down the dew from above, and let the clouds rain down the just.
Behold, O Lord, the affliction of Thy people, and send Him Whom Thou wilt send forth, the Lamb, the ruler of the earth, from the rock of the desert to the mountain of the daughter of Sion, that He may take away the yoke of our captivity.
Ye heavens, drop down the dew from above, and let the clouds rain down the just.
Be comforted, be comforted, O my people: thy Savior shall come quickly. Why hath grief devoured thee? Why hath sorrow disfigured thee? I will save thee: fear not: for I am the Lord thy God, the Holy One of Israel, thy Redeemer.
Ye heavens, drop down the dew from above, and let the clouds rain down the just.
—
And then we have the Immaculate Conception Novena, beginning tomorrow.
The Immaculate Conception is a huge, huge feast, celebrating a most wonderful and mysterious truth of the Faith that I so often take for granted . . . Our Lady was conceived wholly without Original Sin; from the first moment her existence, she was fashioned as the Vessel of Honor, the Tower of David, the House of Gold. What an awesome reality! It should bring us to our knees.
I can only imagine how many options there for praying this novena, but after doing a little digging of my own, I felt drawn towards doing something special and rather intensely reflective of the beauty of this Doctrine, especially in light of my personal Total Consecration to Our Lady (and the fact that I renewed my Consecration earlier this year, leaving me a long gap until next year’s renewal . . . this is a good opportunity for a halfway-point offering, so to speak!).
So I’m going to aim to offer the following combination of 1) the traditional three Hail Marys in honor of the Immaculate Conception 2) two other indulgenced prayers 3) the Collect from the Mass for the Immaculate Conception, and 4) two indulgenced ejaculations.
A N I M M A C U L A T E C O N C E P T I O N N O V E N A
One Hail Mary (in Honor of the Immaculate Conception)
O Virgin Immaculate, Mother of God and my Mother, from thy sublime height turn upon me thine eyes of pity. Filled with confidence in thy goodness and knowing full well thy power, I beseech thee to extend to me thine assistance in this journey of life, which is so full of dangers for my soul. And in order that I may never be the slave of the devil through sin, but may ever live with my heart humble and pure, I entrust myself wholly to thee. I consecrate my heart to thee for ever, my only desire being to love thy divine Son Jesus. Mary, none of thy devout servants has ever perished; may I too be saved. Amen. (An indulgence of 500 days)
One Hail Mary (in Honor of the Immaculate Conception)
O Mary, conceived without stain, pray for us who fly to thee. Refuge of sinners, Mother of those who are in their agony, leave us not in the hour of our death, but obtain for us perfect sorrow, sincere contrition, remission of our sins, a worthy reception of the most holy Viaticum, the strengthening of the sacrament of Extreme Unction, so that we may be able to stand with safety before the throne of the just but merciful Judge, our God and Redeemer. Amen. (An indulgence of 100 days)
One Hail Mary (in Honor of the Immaculate Conception)
Let us Pray: O God, Who, by the Immaculate Conception of the Virgin, didst prepare for Thy Son a worthy habitation, we beseech Thee, that as Thou didst preserve her from every stain by the foreseen death of this Thy Son, so Thou wouldst grant that we also being cleansed from guilt by her intercession, may come to Thee.
Blessed be the holy and immaculate conception of the most blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of God! (300 days’ indulgence)
O Mary! conceived without sin, pray for us who have recourse to thee. (100 days’ indulgence)
For prudence’s sake, and so as not to try and do too overwhelmingly much at once (in thoughtless, eager sanguine fashion), I’ll be consolidating or replacing most of my usual daily prayers with these more specific Advent devotions (especially for the days when I’ll be praying this novena and the St. Andrew Novena at the same time . . .).
But I’ve just realized this all raises a good point: on my part, this addition and re-dedication to Advent prayer will demand that I rearrange and sacrifice my free time (read: indulgent sleeping in time, indulgent internet browsing time, etc.) on a regular basis . . . This is definitely a fine form of penance! 😉
And finally, there is the Christmas Novena, beginning on December 16th and ending on Christmas Eve. Our family usually offers the PrayMoreNovenas.com version together, but we’ll see what’s in store for this year!
The Ember Days
This year, the Advent Ember Days fall on Wednesday, December 20th (fasting and partial abstinence); Friday, December 22nd (fasting and total abstinence); and Saturday, December 23rd (fasting and partial abstinence). I pray I’ll be able to use these three days of increased prayer, fasting and abstinence well!
Advent meditations
Last year, I felt that two types of meditation were appropriate for me during Advent, and the same feels true for this year, as well: meditation on the virtue of humility, especially as practiced by Our Lady; and meditation on the Four Last Things.
So, for meditational reading, I’ll be peeking some through the pages of The Four Last Things and also contemplating ways to practice the virtue of humility in my daily life, especially under the fifteen admonitions of Mother Teresa:
- Speak as little as possible about yourself.
- Keep busy with your own affairs and not those of others.
- Avoid curiosity over things that should not concern you.
- Do not interfere in the affairs of others.
- Accept small irritations with good humor.
- Do not dwell on the faults of others.
- Accept censures even if unmerited.
- Give in to the will of others.
- Accept insults and injuries.
- Accept contempt, being forgotten and disregarded.
- Be courteous and delicate even when provoked by someone.
- Do not seek to be admired and loved.
- Do not protect yourself behind your own dignity.
- Give in, in discussions, even when you are right.
- Choose always the more difficult task.
Advent in the home
And so, I guess that wraps up my personal thoughts and spiritual hopes for Advent. I fully expect it to be imperfectly done, full of holes and tangles . . . but still, I want to give it all to Our Lady like a child would, leaving it to her to transform my small efforts as she knows best.
As far as Advent in our home, however, there are other beautiful things just around the corner! The Advent wreath will be brought out, the candles lit each night and as the weeks progress . . . St. Nicholas’ feast will be celebrated on the 6th . . . hidden acts of kindness will be offered for others in old the Kris Kringle tradition . . . Advent hymns will be sung . . . the house will start seeing decorations at the beginning of the O Antiphons, but not a light will be turned on until after we get home from Christmas Eve High Mass . . . I truly look forward to posting pictures and anecdotes of the Advent days in our family!
When the oracles of the Prophets were fulfilled and the Jews awaited the Messias, John the Baptist left the desert and came to the vicinity of the Jordan, bringing a baptism of penance to prepare souls for the coming of Christ. The world took him to be the Messias, but he replied with the words of Isaias: “I am the voice of one crying in the wilderness: prepare ye the way of the Lord.”
During Advent we make straight for Christ the way to our souls–and behold, our Lord will come at Christmas.
–1962 Missal, pg. 136
Have a blessed remainder of your week!
Her Delightful Life 
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