Advent: Season of Hope
What is Advent?
Advent (from the Latin: “to come to” or “arrival”) marks the beginning of the Church’s liturgical year. Comprising the four Sundays before Christmas, it is a season of hope and preparation, where we open our hearts to God’s presence. We prepare to celebrate the anniversary of the historic coming of Christ in the Incarnation (Christmas), and our hope in Christ’s second coming at the end of time. It is a season of longing and waiting – we allow ourselves to be expectant in this time, alert and ready for God’s presence. We meet in the scriptures of Advent our spiritual ancestors who practiced such waiting: the prophet Isaiah, John the Baptist, Mary the Mother of Jesus, and more. They teach us how to wait with joyful hope, while Christ in our Gospels teaches us to be awake and ready for the Second Coming.
The Advent Wreath is a symbol which helps us mark the weeks of Advent, and focus our prayer. The light of the candles reminds us of Christ, the Light of the World. You can prepare an advent wreath at home to pray with.
Additional resources for advent:
As we enter a new Liturgical Year, we move to read the Gospel according to Luke in our lectionary this upcoming year. A special Advent practice could be reading Luke’s Gospel as a way to grow closer to Christ this Advent.
Advent Prayer Books
Looking for a way to deepen your prayer and reflection this Advent? Many of our parishioners enjoyed the Pax Christi USA promoted last year; this year they’ve published Seeking Wisdom’s Light. The booklet features reflections for Sundays and Holy Days from Advent through Christmastide written by Leslye Colvin, a writer, spiritual companion, and contemplative activist. Leslye's poetic and thought-provoking reflections will be a welcome part of your daily prayer life during the Advent season, and can lead to rich and meaningful sharing within your prayer community.
Journey Through Advent
The Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops presents Journey through Advent with the Most Rev. Frank Leo, Metropolitan Archbishop of Toronto. Join to reflect on the Scriptures for the Sundays of Advent 2024.