Advent has a twofold character, [for] it is a time of preparation for the Solemnities of Christmas, in which the First Coming of the Son of God to humanity is remembered, and likewise a time when, by remembrance of this, minds and hearts are led to look forward to Christ's Second Coming at the end of time. For these two reasons, Advent is a period of devout and expectant delight.
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The liturgical color for Advent is purple, just like Lent—as both are seasons that prepare us for great feast days. Also Advent (like Lent) includes an element of penance in the sense of preparing, quieting and disciplining our hearts for the full joy of Christmas. This penitential dimension is expressed through the color purple, but also through the restrained manner of decorating the church and altar: "During Advent the floral decoration of the altar should be marked by a moderation suited to the character of this time of year, without expressing in anticipation the full joy of the Nativity of the Lord…[also] the use of the organ and other musical instruments should be marked by a [similar] moderation…" (GIRM n. 305 and n. 313)
The third Sunday of Advent is called "Gaudete" Sunday (coming from the first word of the Latin Entrance Antiphon for this day, meaning "Rejoice") and the liturgical color may be rose instead of purple. This is the Church's way of further heightening our expectation as we draw ever nearer the Solemnity of Christmas.
This is informative, as it should be, coming from the USCCB, but stands in stark contrast to the "homily," if one could call it a "homily," given by a deacon at Mass this past Sunday evening. The "speech" was long and parts of it were mere repetition. This blogger is too stupid, and was unable to follow, perhaps it was too cerebral and was it was over his head. He talked about "time," which happens to be one of this blogger's favorite topic but none of his references to time registered. He never mentioned time in reference to the Second Coming that this blogger could recall.
Among some of the things that this blogger remembers, he talked about the amount of "time" he and his sister had to be in the hospital waiting while his brother was in surgery; he talked about having a double martini with his sister at a bar after knowing that their brother was fine; he talked about World Aids Day and finding a cure for AIDS (wait, is AIDS a disease that needs to be cured? If people stay celibate and do not inject drugs, will people contract AIDS? And what does World Aids Day have anything to do with Advent?).
This priest sitting in the background apparently allowed this deacon to give homilies. Did Christ ever delegate to his disciples what to say when presented with a teaching moment? If He did not, then how can a priest delegate homilies to deacons who are not priests? If deacons who are not priests can teach like Christ had taught, then they ought to be able to consecrate bread and wine into the Body and Blood of Christ too, but they cannot. Why not? Why can they perform one function of Christ but not another? Is it a sin to do so? If so, why is it not a sin to delegate the very important task in communicating the readings of the Bible and the Gospels to someone who is unable to do so accurately and reverentially?
Even some priests do not preach well and crack jokes in the middle of a homily. Is during a homily the right time to be funny? Did Christ ever tell a joke? He was here to save souls, not to entertain them. A priest's job has to be the same, to save souls, not to be funny. He has to be devout, and to delight in being Christ's true representative on earth, not in being a comedian.
USCCB stated that "Advent is a period of devout and expectant delight" [2] and "includes an element of penance in the sense of preparing, quieting and disciplining our hearts for the full joy of Christmas," [3] yet many parishes use this period to have Christmas sales, potluck gatherings and other parties. Are such things elements of penance? If only shopping, eating and partying can be considered as elements of penance, then a lot people around the world are truly holy.
[1] http://www.usccb.org/prayer-and-worship/liturgical-year/advent/liturgical-notes-for-advent.cfm
[2] Ibid.
[3] Ibid.
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