By Alison Pope
Associate Director, Office of Evangelization and Catechesis
Note: By the time you read this, we will be well into the season of Advent. However, it is not too late to take advantage of this beautiful liturgical season.
I had a friend tease me once that I claim every liturgical season as my favorite. “Do you realize,” she said, “that I’ve heard you claim at different times Advent, Christmas, Lent, the Triduum, and Easter as your favorite liturgical season? The only one you seem to never say is your favorite is ordinary time.” She’s not wrong. At different points of my life, the different liturgical seasons have been what I needed for that time. Yes, even ordinary time.
Some years, I have needed the Lenten season to remind me that there is beauty in the desert; among the dry land, there can be found a variety of oases to soothe the parched soul. The Triduum has been a reminder that suffering serves a purpose. Christmas has been a reminder that God is always with me. Easter has been a reminder that there is always hope.
While the various liturgical seasons have had their place as my favorite over the years, overall Advent has occupied that top spot more than any others. Most years, it is because it has provided a much-needed season to slow down and focus on my spiritual needs. As one with workaholic tendencies, at times I have needed that outside influence to remind me it is okay to slow down sometimes.
While some may say that Advent this year is difficult or not as meaningful due to the COVID pandemic, I would argue that circumstances this year could lead us to enter into Advent more deeply and truly appreciative of the gifts this season has to offer.
Advent is meant to be a time of preparation. It is a time for us to slow down and focus on the important things in life. With some of the restrictions currently in place, many of us have been forced to slow down. The challenge this Advent is to find useful ways to spend our extra time. Instead of binging more shows on the streaming platform of your choice, maybe you pick up an Advent devotional, or read the daily Mass readings and spend time reflecting. Since Advent is the beginning of a new liturgical year, maybe this intentional time of prayer and reading will become a new year’s habit.
Some may be sad that they cannot take part in all the usual Advent rituals and traditions they normally do. There is beauty in the fact that, for all of us under the age of 102 years, Advent has never been done this way. That means we have the opportunity to be creative and adapt our normal rituals and traditions.
Do you normally spend time during Advent feeding the hungry at a soup kitchen? While you may not be able to serve a meal directly to those in need, you can still put together a box of food to donate to a food bank, hand out gift cards to fast food restaurants to those on the streets who may need a warm meal, or find a family in need and provide groceries for their holiday meal this year.
Some families will often donate gifts to various giving trees. Many organizations who run those have even more requests for help this year. Include friends and extended relatives in the giving and join together to buy for two or three families this year instead of one. Online shopping, as well as curbside pickup, is available for many retailers and can help you shop in a safe way while still helping the less fortunate.
Do you normally go Christmas caroling? This year research the history behind your favorite Christmas songs and discuss them as a family. Do you know the history of “The 12 Days of Christmas” or “Silent Night”? They would be a great starting point for this activity.
Your family could also find some new traditions. One option would be to take a Silent Night Star Walk on Christmas Eve. Take a walk as a family after dark, and spend time looking at the stars. Think about the magic, mystery, and beauty of this time. When you get home, take time to discuss what everyone saw during the walk that reminded them of the beauty and majesty of God.
Do a Jesse tree. The Jesse tree tells the story of Jesus from Creation to Christmas. Each day typically includes a Scripture story and an ornament. While there are some places where you can buy the supplies, consider making them yourself. Again, there are free resources online to help you with the ornaments and that will explain what story goes with each ornament/symbol. The ornaments can be displayed on a branch, a string, or any other way that works for your family. It’s a great way to incorporate Scripture into your daily Advent rituals.
Each Sunday of Advent has a theme — Hope, Peace, Joy, and Love. As a family take each week to focus on that Sunday’s theme. Find activities to do together around that theme. Discuss how you see that theme playing out in those around you. Be creative!
Decorating your Christmas tree as a family? Take time to bless your tree. A blessing of the Christmas tree can be found at https://www.usccb.org/prayer-and-worship/liturgical-yearand-calendar/advent as well as other Advent resources.
Even a simple tradition of a simple prayer and lighting the Advent wreath together each evening can give your family a time to slow down. This is still one of my favorite memories from Advent during my childhood. Since there were four kids, we each had one full week where we would lead the Advent wreath prayer and light the candle before dinner. The candles would stay lit on our dining table throughout the evening meal, and then the same child who lit the candle was the one who extinguished them after dinner.
Parishes can help families during this Advent to discover new ways to mark this liturgical season. I have several colleagues around the country whose parishes put together Advent packets for each family. Some are simply different prayers, trivia about the season, and suggestions of ways to share with others during the season. Some are more elaborate and include items for each family to make a simple Advent wreath, a simple treat that can be shared by the family, and some sort of Advent calendar. There are a ton of free, reproducible printables online that can be shared with families.
Another suggestion for parishes is to host a Blue Christmas service. For many, this time of year is not a happy time. Due to a variety of circumstances, some find this time one of sadness. A Blue Christmas service acknowledges grief and other difficult emotions some may feel and finds ways to address these. The message is not that it will be okay or to cheer up, but that in the pain, there is also hope. There are many forms this Blue Christmas service can take on, so gather ideas and incorporate what works for your faith community.
Even during our normal events we are still offering, we can help people deal with the uncertainty this time may bring. We can find ways to connect the fear we may feel today to the fear surrounding Christ’s birth. Times of unknown can be scary, but Advent reminds us that we are preparing for Emmanuel — “God with Us” — and even in the fear of the unknown there can be peace. As the song “O Little Town of Bethlehem” says, “The hopes and fears of all the years are met in thee tonight.” Both fear and hope can be present at the same time.
While this year’s Advent may not look like any other we have known, the purpose of the season is still relevant. It is a time to slow down and focus on preparing for Emmanuel, God with us. No matter what that preparation may look like for you and your loved ones this year, the important thing is finding simple ways to share our faith with our family.