Unveiling the Light

Tis the Season

Not that anyone waited for the starting gun, but with Thanksgiving behind us, we have officially entered into the Christmas season. We all know that the retailers were actually crowding Halloween items off the shelves to make room for Christmas long before the turkeys arrived for our annual feast, but I do like to hold on to my traditions.

Some may not know this but I was absent from the Church for some 15 years, before I became a priest. That in itself is another story, but suffice it to say that I too used to be ignorant of many Church practices. When I refer to “the Church� I am mostly referring to my own Catholic Church but, in this and many cases, it also applies to other traditional, larger and hierarchical denominations such as the Episcopalians, Anglicans, Lutherans, Congregationalists and others. (I do not exclude the other denominations but my ignorance keeps me from readily speaking for them in many areas.) The point is that I once was ignorant of many Church practices and would not be surprised if you too may be surprised that the Church does not enter into the Christmas season for some time. In fact, we do not celebrate Christmas until December 25th.

What we do begin this Sunday, on December 3rd, is the season of Advent. This season always begins the 4th Sunday before Christmas and thus runs from 22 to 28 days, depending on which day Christmas fall. That is not to say that we don’t bend under secular pressures. We may call them “Advent decorations� but in reality we often prepare our yards and windows much as the non-Christian world does, although we usually try to stick closer to biblical themes. Thus you won’t see too many Santas outside but will see lots of lights and not a few nativity scenes, even though we have not officially entered the Christmas season.

Within the Church and in our celebrations we definitely do not celebrate Christmas until the day arrives and you will not year Christmas Carols sung in the weeks leading up to December 25th. Instead, Advent is seen as a time of preparation for “the event,� that is, it is a time of preparing for the event of the arrival of our King. Thus the season’s color is royal purple. When Christmas comes we will change our colors to white as we do for all significant celebrations, white being the color of purity that is found in Jesus Christ and the color used for festive celebrations.

The season actually has two meanings. In one, we look back to the period before the nativity scene when our God entered the world as a tiny, innocent and helpless infant. It is the beginning of a merciful salvation offered by the all powerful Creator who humbles God’s self to become one like us! We study the Old Testament prophets who spoke of the coming of the Lord, we hear the words of John the Baptist who prepared His way, and bring forth the story of Gabriel revealing God’s plan to a young virgin, Mary, as we look at the world that so needed and continues to need God’s presence.

The other meaning of Advent is to look ahead to when our King will return. In this we remember the words of Jesus when He declared that He would return in His glory on the last day to pass judgment and to usher in a new Kingdom of God, one that unites heaven and earth and brings the reign of God to its natural destiny, to rule all creation. We remember that we are called to be His disciples and that we will see our Lord at the end time, be that the end of the time for all the earth or the end of our time on it. Thus we look back to the need of the world in our history to remind ourselves of the need to look forward to the time when the promise of our Lord will be fulfilled and justice will rule.

When the 25th rolls around, the Church will celebrate Christmas and will do so for approximately two weeks. (Now you know why we sing about the 12 days of Christmas.) We celebrate the birth of Christ through the early part of January when we celebrate the Epiphany, the Lord being exposed to the entire world through the Three Wise Men, and finally the Baptism of the Lord by John the Baptist which leads us back into Ordinary Time in which we study the life and works of Jesus Christ. It is during this Christmas season that we will sing Christmas carols, that the Church will be festively decorated, and that you will hear “Merry Christmas� at the church doors. When the rest of the world puts up its tired feet to exasperated sighs of; “Thank God that’s over with,� we will just be starting our celebration and will concentrate on the true meaning of Christmas, not the retail value of the season.

This is a healthy division and one that we hope parishioners will carry into their secular lives. We cannot avoid the secular celebrations and should not actively seek to, but we can all use these weeks to turn away from the shopping craze and to develop a healthier respect for what the season is all about; to learn to celebrate it by celebrating the gift we have received in our human family and friends. Christmas is a derivative of the words Mass of Christ. These weeks before the celebration of the birth of Christ we try to align our lives to the reality He opened our eyes too. We try to accept the love of God which Jesus manifestly brings into the world and to share our Lord with others as we share His love to those around us. This is the love that would come to its climatic fulfillment when He died for us on the cross.

Looking at the true meaning of Christmas is not bad advice for any who are tired of the hustle and bustle of shopping and who long for that softer, warmer feeling that comes not by sharing gifts but by sharing ourselves with those we love. The commercialism can overwhelm us and make us forget why this is a special time. We have chosen this time to celebrate the birth of our Lord. If we slam through the season without giving Him a second thought then we have no real chance of experiencing the joy that the season was meant to convey.

However you acknowledge God in your life, this is the season to remember your faith and begin those small conversations anew. It is a time to remember what you know in your heart, that we are not alone and that God’s love is all around us. Why not slow down a bit, look around, hug a loved one and enjoy the true gifts of life, the gifts we find in each other. Celebrations are fine but not for the material things they bring forth. They are good for the human feelings that find expression in our greetings, well wishes, and shared lives. At the celebration of the Christ we remember that God joined us in this life, making it good and holy. Let us celebrate this great gift.

Enjoy the Advent season and … when the time comes, have a very Merry Christmas.

Father Steven Foppiano