Bulletins

December 2, 2012

Download the Bulletin as a PDF

While I cannot point to a church document that defines Advent as a penitential season, let's take stock of what the Church does differently during this season of preparation before Christmas: the color of vestments is violet just as in Lent, the Gloria is omitted at the beginning of Mass (as is the case in Lent), flowers are used sparingly to decorate the altar (whereas in Lent they are forbidden) and the organ and other musical instruments are used "in moderation" while in Lent no instrumental music is permitted except to accompany singing. The same moderation is expected for weddings that happen during the season of Advent.

The key figure of the second and third Sundays of Advent is St. John the Baptist. On the first Sunday of Advent Our Lord warns us to "be vigilant at all times and pray that you have the strength to escape the tribulations that are imminent and to stand before the Son of Man".

All of this is true both of the new Mass and the even newer use of the Missal of Blessed John XXIII (the Traditional Mass). Since Vatican II did not change Advent, we can listen to popes of earlier vintage to discern of the spirit of the season. Pope Pius XII in 1947 explained that "in the period of Advent... the Church arouses in us the consciousness of the sins we have had the misfortune to commit, and urges us, by restraining our desires and practicing voluntary mortification of the body, to recollect ourselves in meditation, and experience a longing desire to return to God who alone can free us by His grace from the stain of sin and from its evil consequences".

The documents of Vatican II do mention Advent... one time. The Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy stated that "Bible services should be encouraged, especially on the vigils of the more solemn feasts, on some weekdays in Advent and Lent, and on Sundays and feast days. They are particularly to be commended in places where no priest is available."

Our Holy Father Pope Benedict also has something to say on the matter. Last year during Advent he described St. John the Baptist's "calls for inner conversion [as] based on the individual's recognition and confession of his or her sin. While we are preparing for Christmas, it is important that we reenter ourselves and make a sincere examination of our life. Let us permit ourselves to be illuminated by a ray of light that shines from Bethlehem, the light of the One who is "the Mightiest" who made himself lowly, "the Strongest" who made himself weak."

Please join us in Church on Wednesday evenings for confession, for prayer, for a Scripture reading and a meditation, for the sake of having the kind of penitential spirit that makes it possible to look forward joyfully toward the coming of Jesus.

God bless you this Advent season.

Fr. Christopher Pollard