Today is the first Sunday of Advent, the four-week period of preparation for Christmas.
Advent isn’t as project-oriented as Lent, but there are many more popular rituals to mark this season. Notably, each Sunday you light candles around a wreath while praying. Today we light a purple candle, next week two, the next week we add a pink candle, then another purple, finally lighting all four plus a white candle for Christmas.
If there are children in the house, you probably have an Advent calendar with little pieces of candy attached to each day, a clever incentive for the children to remind you of the daily Advent prayer. The U.S. Bishops’ Advent website contains a simulated calendar with prayers instead of snacks.
Every year I also like caroling with friends and watching It’s a Wonderful Life with Bruce; one of my goals this Advent is to integrate them into these daily and weekly practices.
Most of all, this year I’m looking forward to sharing these traditions with a non-Catholic Christian friend who knows very little about this stuff, and hoping to gain a deeper appreciation of Advent in so sharing.
My Advent meditation cup runneth over.
Sunday, my partner-in-Advent-crime went to a Congregationalist church where they handed out a collection of daily meditations from the Catholic priest Henri Nouwen! Then today my friend Lydia W-K e-mailed a PDF booklet of meditations she made. The options multiply…
We never have the snack kind of Advent calendar. We either have the picture kind or the Bible verse kind.
Where are you caroling?
“December 20–Catholic Worker Christmas Caroling and Party: Please join our annual trip to a nursing home and our neighbors with songs of Christmas cheer. Gather at 5:30pm, 52 Mason St.” Always a great time.
Last night we turned some dollar store candles + crayons into candles for the wreath. Exclusive pix to come.