Right about now is the right time to be “decking the halls,” writes Jenna McDonald.
The secret to having a holy Christmas is: putting some thought into Advent.
Advent is, pun intended, pregnant with meaning and promise ... and it's not over yet! Its decorations are meant to be
sparse and its empty mangers serve to awaken yearning in our hearts.
Despite its external austerity, however, Advent is full of rich
readings and traditions that highlight the perennial ripeness of a
world that still, in many ways, waits for Jesus.
Some Catholic families make a concerted effort to delay the “decking of the halls” until the very last minute (i.e. right about now). Traditionally, families have taken advantage of the third Sunday of Advent (otherwise known as Gaudete meaning “rejoicing” Sunday) to mark the beginning of their family's decorating. So, if you feel that you're way behind, take heart, you're actually right on time!
In their book The Little Oratory: A Beginner's Guide to Praying in the Home, Leila Lawler and David Clayton make prescriptions for a sacred Advent. “Immediately, you will notice how differently the Church enters this season from everyone else. If you can quiet your soul and turn away from the 'holiday hype' of the world, you will begin to acquire the education in beauty and wonder that this season inaugurates. The songs sung at Mass are full of longing; they are not the fulfilled, triumphant Christmas carols but the expectant chants of waiting.”
In Advent, we make room in our hearts to receive the “tidings of great joy”; namely, that we are a chosen people and that we are poised to receive the costliest gift imaginable. All of creation waits in its plainness for the moment of crowning: the Incarnation. Emmanuel! God is still with us!
Catholics celebrate the High Feast of the Incarnation lavishly, so much so that the joy is not relegated to a single day. This would not suffice. No, Christmas deserves nothing less than eight days of feasting ... an Octave! Each day from Christmas Day right up until Jan. 1 (the Solemnity of Mary, Mother of God) is considered a feast day within the Octave of Christmas.
In his book The Church's Year of
Grace, German theologian Father Pius Parsch muses on the Church's
Christmas timeline: “Mother Church is good psychologist;” he
writes, “she understands human nature perfectly. When a feast
comes, the soul is amazed and not quite prepared to think profoundly
upon its mystery; but on the following days the mind finds it easy to
consider the mystery from all sides, sympathetically and deeply; and
an eighth day affords a wonderful opportunity to make a synthesis of
all points covered.”
In our times, Christmas has become a
trigger season for stress, grief, depression, and loneliness. If
Christmas were restored to not only its original simplicity and
beauty, but also to its original timeline, would it be such an
immense burden on so many?
Each Catholic family can and must act as Christmas reformers. Christmas must be reclaimed if we are to rediscover what it means to hope for joy and receive so much more than we dared to believe possible. This is Christmas: a letting go, a letting-oneself-be-rescued. Dare we let Martha rest while Mary shines this season? If we do choose to labour, let it be freely; out of love for God and not out of compulsion, pride, or guilt.
May your last days of Advent be holy and may you have a blessed and joyful Christmas Octave!