It's
Advent, not Christmas!
Father
John
J. Lombardi
"Be
not conformed to the world, but be transformed by the
renewal of your mind." Rm. 12:2
A married couple, who
had a party last week to welcome people into their new
home, were chided for calling this event an "Advent
Party." Why not call it a Christmas Party? - the
thinking went, after all, it's Christmas, isn't it?
No! At the risk of
being labeled "spiritual dinosaurs," holy
Mother Church wisely gives us this time of to PREPARE
for Christmas-NOT celebrate it-just as the Virgin Mary
needed nine-months to prepare for Jesus' birth For
centuries Catholic Christians have been using the Advent
Season to fast, pray, make "crooked paths
straight" by confessing sins, serving others, and
living a simpler (and hopefully!) quieter life, so as to
fully welcome the Baby Jesus, and thereby authentically
celebrate His birth!
Think: If we're
concentrating on celebrating Christmas already, before
it comes, then this avails less time to prepare as the
Church counsels. If we're excessively giving
"Christmas parties," gifts and decorating
trees and homes way in advance -especially WITHOUT
spiritual preparation, then, Are we really celebrating
Advent?
Think again: would you
give an engaged couple a wedding party before they were
married? Would a football team enter into regular season
without a rugged training camp first?
Whatever happened to
gentle progressions, preparations and spiritual
anticipations of events before they occur-so as to
deeply celebrate when the foreshadowed event takes
place? It seems with some premature celebrating we have
lost wise practices of the Church--and this wisdom is
counter-cultural!
Instead of a
"Bah-Humbug" attitude-think like some holy
people have done by providing holy Advent and Christmas
activities:
- A homeschooling
mother patiently (and persistently) "held
off" her children by waiting to go out, to
explore and "forest" a "Christmas
tree" until later in Advent. Think: it will
then last later into the actual Christmas season!
- A pilgrim recently
counseled her children: think less of money and
material gifts and more on giving the "gift of
yourself" in deeds of charity…That's exactly
what Jesus did!
- Make a
"spiritual bouquet"-gift for loved ones:
offer up some prayers, a fast or sacrifice, or a
"holy hour"- time in prayer before Jesus
in the Tabernacle-and make a card for them relating
your gift.
- Time, talent,
treasure: give one of these to a poor, sick or dying
person-someone "who cannot pay you back".
Think: this would be like the Gift of the
Incarnation!
- Wait:…wait to
decorate and prepare your house and tree, more
closely to Christmas itself. Think: a loving family
would make "last-minute", detailed
preparations for an expectant mother, near the
actual birth of the child, to be fully ready, and
thereby not expend needless energy beforehand.
- St. Nicholas-he was
actually a real man, a bishop who lived in
fourth-century Turkey. He lived an austere,
Christ-centered life, giving generous gifts to the
poor, often costing himself comforts. He followed
Jesus even when it was not popular. Learn about this
saint and the reason why we have gift-giving.
- Consider: having a
"St. Nicholas party" instead of another
kind. Plan festivity and joy and spiritual
gift-giving, and tell friends and children about the
origin of all this - "Jesus is the reason for
the season".
Being a Christian in
today's material world will bring disruption and
difficulty. At times we yearn for a "John the
Baptist-type," a spiritually bold leader to change
and inspire us-- why not you? Especially at this time of
year: be bold, put Christmas on hold - take advantage of
Advent, and then really celebrate Christmas!
QUOTE of THE WEEK:
"Prayer is the living relationship of the children
with their Father who is good beyond measure, with His
Son and the Holy Spirit. The grace of the Kingdom is the
'union of the entire holy and royal Trinity with the
whole human spirit.'"
Read
other Sermons by Father John J. Lombardi