As we know, in our modern-day secular world, there is no distinction made between Advent and Christmas. Usually right after Halloween, Christmas stuff starts appearing. Out of respect for soldiers, some people wait until after November 11 to begin decorating for the season. However, this is far too early according to the Christian Calendar.
In the Catholic Church, everything is governed by seasons. As the Bible says, there is a time and place for everything in our universe. Prior to great celebrations in the Church, we strive to strip away our inordinate attachments to the material world to be better prepared for the spiritual significance of the season we will celebrate.
The most famous of such times is Lent which is a preparation for the most important season of the Christian calendar - Easter. The meaning of Easter has nothing to do with material goods, but rather it has everything to do with spiritual goods.
In the same way, Advent is our way of preparation for the upcoming feast of Christmas. Christmas is a spiritual reality. Unfortunately, our modern society focuses almost exclusively on the material aspect - how many gifts will you receive or give. At most the secular world will say that Christmas is about spending time with your loved ones. Rarely do they discuss the true reason and meaning for Advent and Christmas.
Christmas is a celebration of the Second Person of the Trinity becoming incarnate to dwell among us to bring salvation to the whole world. Jesus was, in a sense, born to carry out his mission which was to offer himself as the perfect sacrifice on Calvary for the salvation of souls. His incarnation and birth made this possible. Our job on Earth is to unite ourselves more fully with God and to receive his Grace. One of the things that stands in our way to achieving this is our attachments to material or created goods. These attachments prevent us from achieving a closer spiritual union with our Creator.
Advent is a great opportunity, sort of a lesser Lent (in terms of penance), to remove some attachment to the material world and move closer to God. That way we can more fully celebrate the true meaning of Christmas.
To that end, I found an excellent Advent preparation. This comes from reginaprophetarum.org. I have transcribed it here into regular text. Feel free to print this off and use it as a guide as you prepare for the coming of the Savior of the World.
ADVENT IS COMING
THE FOUR WEEKS OF ADVENT are set apart by the Church to commemorate the ages that intervened between the fall of our first parents and the birth of Christ which we celebrate at Christmas. It is a Season of special prayer and penance mingled with joyful expectation, and calculated to prepare our souls for a worthy keeping of this great solemnity. Advent is also the beginning of the ecclesiastical year, and as each succeeding year brings us closer to the Second Coming of Christ as Judge of the world, this holy time is likewise intended to make us ready to meet our Judge. Such preparation is best achieved by seeking sanctification through voluntary amendment of life, acts of penance, and works of charity.
Do not let this time to Grow in Holiness Pass You By!!
Consider the following categories on what we should do for Advent this year.
1. VOLUNTARY AMENDMENT OF LIFE
Give up those things that need to go sooner or later, namely bad habits. Our goal here is to learn to love our souls more than our bodies… to break a bad habit forever and Advent is a good time to do it. Examples: Gossiping, surfing the web without real need, watching T.V., overeating, eating between meals, eating and drinking junk foods (e.g., soda), bad drinking habits, complaining, saying vulgar words, not getting up on time, using a snooze alarm, wasting time playing video games, going to movies, listening to base music, useless chattering on facebook, blogs, and the like, etc.
In this category I am going to give up _______________________
2. ACTS OF PENANCE
Perform some kind of penance. Our goal here is to train ourselves to say “no” in little things so that we can say “NO” to big temptations later. We can resume doing the things given up here once Advent is over. Examples: Avoid eating or drinking something that we enjoy, such as desserts. Give up eating out, taking completely warm showers, drinking alcoholic beverages, etc...
In this category I am going to give up _______________________
3. WORKS OF CHARITY
Perform some good and holy action(s). Our goal here is to strengthen our relationship with Christ and His Church. Ideally, what we start here would continue in some way even after Advent is over. Love God more than yourself! Examples: Pray the Rosary everyday, attend daily Mass as much as possible, read the Sacred Scriptures _______ minutes a day, spend _______ additional time everyday with my family, read a life of a saint or saints, increase spiritual reading in place of electronic media, make a daily visit to the Most Blessed Sacrament or shrine of Our Lady.
In this category I am going to _______________________
To get the PDF version, go to http://reginaprophetarum.org/mission_materials/Advent%20is%20Coming.pdf
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