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How did the celebration of Advent begin? The liturgical season of Advent marks a time of spiritual preparation by the faithful before Christmas. Advent begins on the Sunday closest to the Feast of St. Andrew the Apostle (Nov. 30) and spans four Sundays. The last week of Advent is usually truncated due to what day of the week Christmas falls on. For instance, this year, the fourth Sunday of Advent is Christmas Eve. The historical origin of Advent is hard to determine with great precision. In its earliest form, beginning in France, Advent was a period of preparation for the Feast of the Epiphany, a day when converts were baptized. Thus, the Advent preparation was very similar to Lent with an emphasis on prayer and fasting which lasted three weeks and later expanded to 40 days. In 380, the local Council of Saragossa, Spain, established a three-week fast before Epiphany. Inspired by the Lenten regulations, the local Council of Macon, France, in 581 designated that from Nov. 11 (the Feast of St. Martin of Tours) until Christmas fasting would be required on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. Eventually, similar practices spread to England. In Rome the celebration of Advent did not appear until the sixth century and was viewed as preparation for Christmas with less of a penitential bent. The Church gradually formalized the celebration of Advent. The Gelasian Sacramentary (Sunday Lectionary), attributed to Pope St. Gelasius I (d. 496), was the first to provide Advent liturgies for five Sundays. Later, Pope St. Gregory I (d. 604) enhanced these liturgies composing prayers, antiphons, readings, and responses. Pope St. Gregory VII (d. 1095) later reduced the number of Sundays in Advent to four. Finally, about the ninth century, the Church designated the first Sunday of Advent as the beginning of the Church year. Despite the sketchy history of Advent, the importance of this season remains focused on the coming of our Lord. (Advent comes from the Latin adventus, meaning “coming”.) The Catechism stresses the two-fold meaning of this coming: When the Church celebrates the liturgy of Advent each year, she makes present this ancient expectancy of the Messiah, for by sharing in the long preparation for the Savior’s first coming, the faithful renew their ardent desire for His second coming. (CCC 524). One of the better ways to help us in our Advent preparation has been the use of the Advent wreath. The wreath is a circle, having no beginning or end: It reminds us how our lives, here and now, participate in the eternity of Gods plan of salvation and how we hope to share eternal life in the Kingdom of Heaven. The wreath consists of four candles. Three purple candles symbolizing penance, preparation, and sacrifice. The fourth candle is pink and symbolizes “Rejoicing”. The pink candle is lit on the third Sunday of Advent, Gaudete Sunday, as we rejoice because our preparation and waiting is almost over. During this Advent, let us strive to fulfill the desires of the opening prayer for the First Sunday of Advent: “Father in Heaven, ... increase our longing for Christ our Savior and give us the strength to grow in love, that the dawn of His coming may find us rejoicing in His presence and welcoming the light of His truth.”

Author Bio:
Deacon Dan Vaughn