A few weeks ago, I wrote about the coming of Advent and encouraged advanced preparation so that Advent could be a true season of preparation. With the celebration of the Feast of Christ the King of the Universe (Novus Ordo) this weekend we are at crunch time for preparing.
The color for Advent is violet. I often say “purple” because I have no idea what the difference is, so I’ve always called it purple. But, in English, this is a happy confluence of terms since the principal points of both Advent and Lent are preparation, penance, and prayer (notice how they all start with "p"?). Indeed, it works for funerals too, which is why I generally wear “purple” for funerals too.
Wait a minute! “Penance”? Well, yes. Penance is an important part of not only Lent (and funeral rites), but also of Advent. While it isn’t penitential in the same way as Lent, there is a penitential aspect to this season of joyful expectation. So, what is this penitential aspect?
The penitence in Advent comes from a realization that Christ, our King is coming, and we are not perfected in holiness and love; that is, we aren’t quite ready to receive Him. It is for that reason that we are saddened by our lack of faithfulness, and therefore - preparedness. When He comes we want to be ready, we want things to be perfect. Think of a bride and groom as their wedding day looms, realizing that some important elements of their preparations are left undone. I’ve seen brides especially come undone (actually, unglued!) over such things.
Thus, we see there is indeed a penitential aspect to our preparations. That is one of the reasons that Advent is a time when more recent tradition dictates communal Confession services be scheduled. And this has already been scheduled for the Tri-Parishes and extra priest-confessors secured so that this issue may be laid to rest and not be an obstacle to our full celebration of the Lord’s coming.
Another part of our preparation must be increased prayer. In prayer we bring ourselves before the bridegroom, Jesus Christ, his Father, and the saints seeking their assistance so that we may be found truly ready at the Lord’s coming. In this way we find ourselves in a position to receive Him fully, with hearts opened wide. For many this is a matter of becoming more attentive to daily recitation of the Rosary, especially the Joyful Mysteries which are the Christmas mysteries if you will.
The bottom line is we want to recognize Christmas and celebrate it first and foremost as a welcoming of the Savior, Jesus Christ, into our lives – not just a part of our life, but the whole of it (every room!). Our Advent preparation is aimed at this and will help us in achieving it, if only we can keep the cultural intrusions and premature frivolity at bay for just a few weeks.
Long live Christ the King!
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