Happy New Church Year. Advent, which began this year on December 3, ushers in the new liturgical year in the Church, and offers each of us an opportunity to start fresh, make faith a more significant priority, and deepen our relationship with the One who created, saves and redeems us.
The rhythms of the liturgical year can act as a guide for us, beginning with Advent as the time to anticipate the birth and life of Jesus Christ.
“I believe the liturgical year is a wonderful way to be sensitive to the special seasons of the year,” said Julie Eakin, office administrator and director of religious education at St. Teresa of Calcutta, Dakota Dunes.
“I can remember Advent as a child in Catholic school, gathering each Monday morning as a school, lighting another candle on the advent wreath, and singing ‘Light the Advent Candle’.
“Each new season gives us an opportunity to understand our faith a little better. Our Church gives us opportunities to celebrate and opportunities to repent. It can be easy to just go through the motions of each season. But as with anything, you get out of it what you put into it,” she said.
“The seasons of Advent and Lent, in particular, have been fruitful in my life. I’ve tried to take advantage of special devotions or reflections during these times. Reflecting especially on Christ’s upcoming Passion during Lent has helped me appreciate his humanity. And during Advent, reflecting on Mary’s utter trust in God has helped me see clearer the ways I could trust in God more than I currently do.” Eakin said.
Jerry Johnson, St. Lambert, Sioux Falls said “The liturgical calendar of the Church brings a sense of order to my spiritual life. With each new season, the daily scripture readings take me to another place in my faith, and give me a sense of spiritual direction.
“With the three cycles of readings covering much of Sacred Scripture, they don’t allow me to neglect any particular areas of my faith, or focus solely on my own whims or desires,” he said.
“Every time I reenter a liturgical season, it’s an opportunity to go deeper in my devotion and understanding. In this way the seasons are an encouragement, or even a challenge to seek something new, something deeper or stronger, and continue to grow in my faith and discipleship,” said Johnson, who leads bible studies and small groups through the parish.
Find the Quiet
In truth, it is easy to not pay much mind to the Church’s liturgical seasons. There are plenty of distractions in life, with children, work, maybe sick parents or other concerns.
“I will be honest, I don’t give much thought to the church calendar until Lent,” said Mary Jo Gallagher, spiritual events coordinator at Abbey of the Hills. “Isn’t that the time of year when we start thinking about what we are going to give up, or take up, what we need to change to grow in our spiritual life? It’s not, but that has probably been my mindset and I dare to think a lot of other people’s too.”
And yet said Gallagher, “The older I get the more I understand and the more important Advent becomes to me. When you’re young and trying to raise a family, work and keeping up with everyone’s activities, it’s hard to find the quiet.”
“Like the changing of seasons in the calendar year, the change of seasons in the liturgical calendar offers different traditions, celebrations, and opportunities to pause, reflect, and reset,” said Matt Leedom, a St. Mary Sioux Falls parishioner and a new student in the diocesan Equip program.
“For me, I find that the change in liturgical seasons offers an opportunity to reflect on my current spiritual status and assess where growth may be needed. It is helpful to have an opportunity for a periodic reset, and I believe that the seasons of the liturgical calendar offer just that,” he said.
Helen Crow, business manager at Holy Trinity, Huron said being mindful of the Church’s liturgical year helps her focus.
“In the last few years I have thought more about Advent being a time of waiting in silence with hope and anticipation. This is definitely not the message in a world that has Christmas items displayed for sale earlier every year,” she said.
“I remember one of our pastors saying we need to empty ourselves and not be too busy so there is room for Jesus who was not able to find room in the inn. Mother Teresa said ‘In the silence of the heart, God speaks’ – so if we miss out on the silence by being caught up in the hustle and bustle we may miss what God wants us to hear during this time of preparation,” said Crow.
Prepare the Way
Each liturgical season in the Church can be recognized through subtle and not so subtle ways – colors of vestments, altar clothes and sometimes church decorations, different music, prayers, and scripture readings that help us prepare and celebrate whatever the season may be.
“In speaking specifically to the season of Advent, I find the penitential aspect of the season to be very helpful in counteracting the commercial and indulgent ways that our society often promotes this time of year,” said Johnson.
“To prepare the way of the Lord in our lives in ways that John the Baptist preached and proclaimed, the ways of repentance, conversion, and charity, helps us to focus on what’s truly important,” Johnson said, who is also a master catechist.
“Taking some extra time for prayer and scripture, coupled with daily mass, whenever possible, as well as regular confession, is a great way to prepare. While this would seem to tighten our schedules and make the season even crazier, in my experience it will actually cause us to slow down and reflect more, not getting caught up in the busyness, and keeping our priorities on track.
“I especially appreciate that the Church directs us to consider Christ’s final coming in glory, along with his first coming, so that we recognize what we are truly preparing for. However we use the season to lead us to the celebration of Christmas, we are reminded that our preparation continues beyond this Advent, into the advent of our own passing from this life, and the advent of the Lord’s return at the end of time,” he said.
Anticipation
As Advent and liturgical calendar roll around year after year, each us may find that some years certain liturgical seasons are more meaningful because of where we are on the faith journey or because of something going on in our lives.
“Last Advent was special for my family,” said Leedom, who is a physical therapist.
“My wife and I were anxiously awaiting the arrival of our daughter, Clare. I remember feeling very united to the nativity story during that Advent.
“As we prepared our home and our lives for the arrival of a new baby, I couldn’t help but reflect on the idea that the anxiousness and excitement I was feeling, may have also been felt by Joseph and Mary as they prepared for the arrival of the infant Jesus.
“Looking at an image of the nativity scene, I remember thinking that the painting appeared much too somber. In reality, that rendering should have depicted the culmination of months of preparation and anticipation. I can imagine the joy and emotion that would have been expressed on Joseph’s face as he welcomed into the world, this new baby, who had come to save us all.” Leedom said.
“We have to wait on God,” said Gallagher.
“Waiting, in silence, with hope and anticipation doesn’t come naturally to me. In my ministry I have to wait, it’s hard; I want to see results now! I want to see fruit from my ministry.
“When I was in youth ministry I was blessed to have some of the youth discern their vocations, most youth ministers don’t get to see that fruit until years later. Now I want to know how many people will be attending a retreat weeks in advance so that I can have everything in place. I want to know that the people I’m praying with and for are experiencing God’s love and healing in their lives,” she said.
“God has been teaching me to wait. On my fridge I have the Divine Mercy picture and have typed across the bottom, ‘Jesus I Trust in You and Surrender to Your Holy Will!’ and so I will surrender my agenda and wait, most of the time impatiently,” Gallagher said
“Anything that creates purposeful time spent as a family together is a wonderful way to focus on Advent,” Eakin said.
“One day during the week leading up to Sunday, you could read Sunday’s Mass readings as a family, and try to understand what the overall message is. I also really love the idea of lighting an Advent candle wreath.
“This is a practice that can be easily established in your own home. Each Sunday in Advent, your family can gather around the wreath and light the appropriate candle(s). Prayers for each Sunday can easily be found online to pray together. Or the ‘Light the Advent Candle’ song can be sung together,” she said.
There is a wealth of tools for individuals and families to live deeply into whatever liturgical season is at hand.
“I like to use the Magnificat booklet/publication daily,” Crow said. “This has the daily readings, prayer, and a reflection. In addition to the monthly booklet, they publish an Advent (& Lent) companion which has a little more information to reflect on during these times of the year. During Advent, these readings and prayers, along with the nativity scenes I set up each year, help me to prepare for the celebration of the birth of Jesus.
“We are called to be saints by the grace of God. If we prayerfully consider where we are on our journey to sainthood and open our minds and hearts to where God is drawing us throughout the year, we will be headed in the right direction,” she said.
New Church Year Resolutions
Which brings us to the idea of truly celebrating Advent as the beginning of the church year – as a new year’s moment and perhaps the chance to borrow from the secular new year and make some meaningful resolutions to further our faith life.
“New Church Year resolutions can be a great way to reflect on what may be missing in your faith life, or just to help you go deeper than you have in the past,” said Eakin. “It could help us put God where he’s supposed to be in our lives.
“A possible resolution for me may be to celebrate Christmas during the two week long Christmas season the Church provides, and to rest and reflect during Advent,” she said.
“Another potential resolution would be to make an effort to make it to Mass for all those important days that aren’t Holy Days of obligation, like December 6 – St. Nicholas, December 12 – Our Lady of Guadalupe, December 13 – St. Lucy, December 26 – St. Stephen, December 28 – The Feast of the Holy Innocents, January 1 – Solemnity of Mary, the Holy Mother of God, and January 8 – The Baptism of the Lord, just to name a few around Christmastime; then during ordinary time trying to make one daily Mass a month. Sometimes I tell myself I’m too busy to attend these Masses, but I always like it when I go,” Eakin said.
Crow said her resolution involves a gift she received.
“Last year for Christmas I was given the gift of a Catholic Planner. The beginning of the calendar year, they have a ‘Path to Sainthood Exercise’. You are to reflect on the person God is calling you to be and prayerfully set goals to work toward that. This would be a good New Church Year resolution,” she said.
“If we make a resolution to spend 5 minutes in silence, even if it’s just to say over and over, ‘Jesus, I give you permission to love me’, how can that not bring us into a deeper relationship with Christ?” asked Gallagher
“The same with making a retreat, taking time away to pray and reflect, and I found that taking time to go through a spiritual inventory was so enlightening,” she said.
Get Equipped
Like Leedom, Crow, Eakin and Gallagher are new participants in the Equip program which is aimed at forming lay women and men as missionary disciples. As part of the process, candidates completed a spiritual inventory.
“What a wonderful way to see the ways I’ve changed and grown in my faith life,” said Gallagher.
“What if I made a resolution to add to my inventory and reassess each Advent to see the ways I’ve grown and changed in the last year, and also to see areas where I need to grow and change?
“What if I used Advent to make my resolutions and then used Lent to reassess? Instead of waiting for Lent to begin to even think about what I need to change in my life to grow in my faith,” Gallagher said.
“Sometimes looking back at where we’ve been we can clearly see God’s hand in our lives, the ways he’s moved us, the people he’s placed in our lives, the places we’ve grown and the places we need to grow,” she said.
The idea of the resolutions only works if one prays and asks God what areas he might want us to consider and the result will be different for each person.
“My New Church Year resolutions might be to reach out to those in physical need a little more through ministries such as the Banquet or Bishop Dudley House,” Johnson said. “With the comfortable life that I have, it would do me well to simplify and sacrifice more for others.
“Often my New Year’s resolutions include one or two concrete ways I hope to grow in my faith,” Leedom said.
“What a great idea to be attentive to them and begin them in Advent! God has been showing me a lot lately what it means to be truly free. He’s been doing that by asking me to simplify my life and give up some of the excess things that distract me from Him and from my family. Things like being a good steward of the body God gave me (regular exercise, eating well), consistent prayer time with my family and regular time spent with God in nature (where I often find Him most clearly) are at the top my list this year,” he said.
Fresh Start
The fresh start we might find through the liturgical calendar, and particularly with the beginning of the new liturgical year in Advent is real and hopeful.
“Every year we get another opportunity to prepare for the birth of Jesus – perhaps time spent in Adoration with the Blessed Sacrament, asking ‘How do you see me – what can I do to strengthen my relationship with you’ – and listening for the answer,” Crow suggests.
“There are so many wonderful resources available to grow closer to God in our faith journey – books, online information, small group studies. My hope would be others would research what resource could work best for them in their life journey,” she said.
Adds Johnson, “anytime we take a serious look at our faith lives, and how we are called to live as disciples, the Lord will grace us with a deeper desire to change, and the strength to do so.”
“Just a couple years ago, I really listened to the words of the song, ‘Mary Did You Know?’ and it really struck my heart, to think of our Lord coming as a baby and that he was dependent on his mother, Mary, to care for him, feed him, and nurture him,” Eakin said.
“The line, ‘And when you kiss your little baby, you have kissed the face of God’ caused me to reflect on the nature of our God. Everyone has kissed a baby- they can know what that’s like. But Mary kissed Jesus’ precious face out of instinct, as good mothers do. Did she know? Did she think about who she was kissing? Our Lord chose to come to us in this vulnerable and human way, and would go on to do such wonderful things. It’s so beautiful to think about how He loves us in this way,” she said.
For Leedom too, the thoughts of Advent turn to Mary, always our model when wanting to know Jesus and strengthen our own faith life.
“There’s a common depiction of the Nativity in which Mary is holding some of the fabric from Jesus’ swaddling clothes and gazing at Him in pure adoration. It’s in our very own Cathedral,” he said.
“What was going through her mind? Did she know the magnitude? Was she confused? Was she exhausted? Was she full of questions? Full of peace?
I think if we treated advent like she did, prayerfully preparing for the coming of Christ, we might have a better understanding of what she saw when she looked at Him. If we look at Christ through her eyes, He becomes a little more clear.”
