Advent
Advent (from the Latin adventus, meaning "coming" or "arrival") is the beginning season of the liturgical year in the Roman Rite of the Catholic Church. It is a time of watchful preparation and joyful expectation for the celebration of the Nativity of Jesus Christ at Christmas, while also anticipating His Second Coming at the end of time. The season renews the ancient expectancy of the Messiah and fosters a desire for Christ's continual coming in the hearts of the faithful through grace and the sacraments.[1]
Advent begins with First Vespers (evening prayer) of the First Sunday of Advent and ends before First Vespers of Christmas (the evening of December 24). It always includes four Sundays, though its length varies from 22 to 28 days depending on the day of the week on which Christmas falls.
Advent invites the faithful to prepare their hearts through vigilant prayer, penance, and joyful hope, making present the mystery of Christ's coming—past, present, and future. For the current liturgical calendar and local adaptations, consult the annual Ordo or resources from your diocesan liturgy office.
Canonical and theological basis
The structure and character of Advent are governed by the Universal Norms on the Liturgical Year and the Calendar (1969), promulgated following the Second Vatican Council and Pope Paul VI's apostolic letter Mysterii Paschalis.[2] These norms describe Advent as a season of "devout and expectant delight" that prepares the faithful for the twofold coming of Christ: His first coming in the Incarnation and His final coming in glory.[3]
Unlike Lent, which is more strictly penitential, Advent combines joyful anticipation with elements of preparation, conversion, and penance. The Gloria is omitted from Masses during Advent (except on solemnities), heightening the joy of its return at Christmas.
History
Evidence of a period of preparation before Christmas dates to the 5th century in Gaul (modern France), initially linked to baptismal preparation and fasting (sometimes called "St. Martin's Lent" from November 11 to December 25). The Gelasian Sacramentary (late 7th century) provides early liturgical texts for Advent. By the time of Pope St. Gregory the Great (d. 604), four weeks were observed, though without strict fasting.
The season evolved in Rome and spread across the West. The Second Vatican Council refined its character, emphasizing hope and distinguishing it more clearly from Lent's penitential focus.
Liturgical color and practices
The liturgical color for Advent is violet (purple), symbolizing penance, prayer, and preparation (as in Lent). On the Third Sunday of Advent (Gaudete Sunday, from the Latin "Rejoice"), rose-colored vestments may be used to signify joy amid expectation.
Sundays of Advent
The four Sundays have distinct themes in the post-Vatican II lectionary (Year A, B, or C cycle):
- First Sunday: Focus on the Second Coming of Christ and watchfulness.
- Second Sunday: The preaching of John the Baptist, calling for repentance.
- Third Sunday (Gaudete Sunday): Joy in the nearness of salvation.
- Fourth Sunday: Events leading to Christ's birth, especially the role of the Blessed Virgin Mary.
Popular traditions and symbols
Common Catholic devotional practices include:
Advent wreath
The Advent wreath is a circle of evergreen branches (symbolizing eternal life) with four candles (three violet, one rose), lit each Sunday. The circle has no beginning or end, representing God's eternity. This custom, adapted from earlier Germanic practices and formalized in the 19th–20th centuries among German Catholics and Protestants, spread widely in the 20th century.
Jesse Tree
Jesse Tree is a symbolic tree or branch representing the genealogy of Christ (from Isaiah 11:1, "a shoot from the stump of Jesse"), with ornaments depicting Old Testament figures and events leading to the Incarnation.