The ABC’s of Advent: Let Us Live What We Believe

Lex orandi, Lex credendi, Lex vivendi, the way you pray determines what you believe. The way you believe determines how you live. Let us live the Liturgical Year.

From Catholic Stand

By Cynthia Millen

If you do not live what you believe, you will end up believing what you live. (Ven. Fulton J. Sheen)

Happy New Year!

No, I’m not a month early. After nearly two years of pandemic pandemonium, I have been feeling the call to live more simply and more dependent upon the Lord. I sense that you feel the same way, as we’ve all realized what truly matters. I hope to live what I believe and follow God’s commands more closely. Thus, I wish to live by the Liturgical Year and more intimately celebrate God’s holy days/holidays. I want this to become the natural cycle of my life.

Advent: The Wonderful Period of Waiting

For Catholics who try to live by the Liturgical Year, our New Year begins on the Sunday nearest the feast of St. Andrew (November 30), four Sundays before Christmas, which falls this year on November 28.

It all begins each year with Advent, the wonderful period of waiting.

Mary is pregnant, waiting to have Jesus. Elizabeth is as well, and Zechariah and Joseph are nervously watching close by. In wonder and awe, we are all waiting for the miracle birth of “God becomes man.” God cherishes so much that He is sending His Son to be with us and teach us, live with us and laugh with us, love with us and suffer with us, and ultimately die for us.

Like anyone waiting for the birth of a new baby to their family, we should prepare. We should clean our houses—both our physical house and our temples of the Holy Spirit—in preparation for Him. We should put out welcomes for Him in the form of special sacramentals, prayers, celebrations, fasting, kind deeds, reconciliations, and readings so that we are ready to make Him feel at home. More importantly, we should put out welcomes for Him in our hearts, souls, and minds. Are we prepared to live in His Kingdom?

Depending upon the year, Advent can run for as long as 26 days. That’s the number of letters in the alphabet! So here’s a suggested “ABC’s of Advent” to help you and your family get prepared. More than likely, you will come up with even better ideas on your own.

The Alphabet

A: Advent Wreath—Using greens from your yard (or purchased ones) and four candles (three purple, one pink), you can make a lovely, simple wreath for your table and light the candles for each week of the season. For more information about the history and practice of using advent wreaths, see this website.

B: Bells for the Angelus Prayer: For centuries, church bells have rung three times daily (6 am, Noon, 6 pm) to remind us to pray the Angelus, which honors the Annunciation. Advent is a great time to make this a family tradition. (See more information here.)

C: Crèche or Nativity Scene: It is said that St. Francis of Assisi invented the first Nativity set. A family Nativity set is a beautiful way for children to watch and wait for the birth of Jesus (and to move the animals around).  Each year, a family member should bless the crèche—a great family tradition to start.

D: Donate clothing and food to those in need. Make this an Advent tradition before purchasing any Christmas presents.

E: Eucharistic Adoration: Take your family to pray in the presence of Jesus. It’s so calming, solemn, and richly rewarding. Here are some beautiful prayers written by various saints to contemplate and pray with your family.

F: Fast: In centuries past (and currently in many other countries), Advent fasting was common. Read this article to learn more, and then decide as a family how and when you will fast to prepare for our Lord’s birth. During each of the four seasons of the year, there are also Ember Days in which people fasted. For Advent, those are the Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday after the Feast of St Lucy (December 13). (Read more about the Advent Ember Days here.)

G: Gaudete Sunday:  Break your family’s fast for this joyous mid-point of Advent. See this wonderful article about the importance of Gaudete Sunday.

H: Holly: Decorate your home naturally with firs, pines, boxwood, and holly. The holly and other evergreen plants have special meaning for this season.

I: Immaculate Conception: Mary was conceived in St. Anne’s womb without sin so that she would be the sinless vessel to carry Jesus. This Holy Day of Obligation is celebrated on December 8. Learn more about this feast day here.

J: Jesse Tree: All of the stories of the Old Testament culminate in the birth, death, and resurrection of Jesus. Create Jesse Tree Ornaments or a timeline, and discuss each reading with your family. See this website for great Jesse Tree ideas.

K: The Three Kings: During the Advent season, we can also be thinking about the Wise Men or Three Kings who would have been traveling at this time over long distances to see the new King, Jesus Christ, and bearing special gifts. Read about them and what each of these gifts represented. Traditionally, we celebrate their arrival on January 6.

L: Lessons and Carols: Google for local offerings of this beautiful and solemn service in early December. (See more information about it here.)

M: Mary’s Baby Shower: Contact Heartbeat or a local pregnancy resource center and arrange for your family to host a baby shower for an expectant mom who needs help. You can make it as big or small as you’d like because everything is appreciated. Here’s an article about a Mary’s shower in Milwaukee.

N: St. Nicholas Feast Day: Yes, there really was—and is—a Santa Claus! Celebrate his feast day on December 6 and learn how he became important at Christmas. Remember that he did everything he did because he loved Jesus.

O: O Antiphons: Since the eighth century, we have prayed these in the evenings of the last seven days before Christmas. Here are the O Antiphons to pray with your family beginning on December 17.

P: Penance: Your parish will offer extra evenings for penance. Plan now to attend one with your entire family, and then enjoy some …

Q: Quiet time together. Quiet nights, with no TV or electronics, can be planned throughout Advent, especially during Ember Days or others days of abstinence. One wonderful family tradition to start is the recitation of the …

R: Rosary, especially the Joyous Mysteries, which lead up to the birth of Jesus. This can be followed by baking, playing board games, or the

S: Singing of Christmas Carols, especially religious ones. You can gather friends to carol around the neighborhood, at a nursing home, or just at home around a fire.

T: The Magnificat is the best-known of the canticles or songs of praise documented in Luke’s Gospel. Mary prays this in awe and thanksgiving for being chosen as the Mother of God. See the prayer here, and see an interesting discussion about the power of praying it daily.

U: Unborn: The first person to recognize and celebrate the coming of the Savior was an unborn baby. Read Luke 1:41. The sanctity of the unborn is celebrated in the stories leading up to Christmas. Advent is the perfect season to help families in need and pray for the unborn, especially in front of a local abortion clinic.

V: The Visitation: Mary hears that Elizabeth is also pregnant; her first thought is to run to her and help. Read Luke 1:39-56. While the Feast of the Visitation is celebrated in May, the act of the Visitation is the inspiration for an order of cloistered nuns and a model for all Christian service, according to St. Teresa of Calcutta. As Pope Benedict XVI stated, “Mary’s visitation to her cousin Elizabeth was in a certain sense the first Eucharistic procession in history.”  Like Mary, we are called to carry Christ to others.

W: Wenceslaus: This good King, who is commemorated in a lovely Christmas carol, is worth examining by your family. Read this lovely story about how he examined his conscience and discovered the true meaning of generosity.

X: Writing Xmas is not as bad as you think: Χ is the Greek letter “chi” and an abbreviation for the Greek word for Christ or Χριστός. Just remember to keep Christ at the center of all of your Advent activities!

Y: Yule log and other baking ideas: You probably have lots of baking traditions in your family, but Advent is a great time to research and prepare cookies, cakes, and pastries from other countries. Many of these have religious meanings. All are fun to make, especially the Bȗche de Noël or French Yule log. Create several kinds, pack them up, and take them to a homeless shelter.

Z: Canticle of Zechariah: This is the prayer or song of praise that the father of John the Baptist sings in thanksgiving to God in the Gospel of Luke. It is also a benediction that can be prayed each morning. Here are instructions for your kids to create a prayer card with the canticle.

Final Thoughts

Begin your New Year prayerfully and joyfully. Follow God’s calendar, not the world’s, and you will find the simple peace that only God can give.

Happy Advent!