Preparing for the Light of the World

GREENSBURG – The season of Advent begins in the Church on Nov. 30. The word “Advent” means the coming or arrival of something significant. In the Church, Advent is a time for the faithful to prepare for Christmas — the birth of Christ.

“During this time, we are waiting for Jesus to come to us,” said Sister of the Apostles of the Sacred Heart of Jesus Jeanne Marie Vonder Haar. Sister Jeanne Marie is currently the faith formation director at Blessed Sacrament Cathedral Parish, Greensburg.
She reminds us that preparation needed during Advent can take many forms.

 “It is not only a season to remember Jesus in history, when he came as a baby in Bethlehem, but also His coming to us today through the sacraments, through each other, through the people that we meet and encounter each day. It’s also a time of preparation for his second coming at the end of time.”

Sister Jeanne Marie spent most of her religious life in elementary education at schools in Pennsylvania, New York City, Rhode Island, and Saint Louis, Mo., where she was born. Growing up in a family of nine children, Sister Jeanne Marie understands the demands parents face today but said it’s never too early to teach the young Church about the importance of the season of Advent, recalling how her family commemorated the time.

“In our family, when I was growing up, we gathered around the kitchen table, and we would light a candle each night and then we would pray together as a family,” Sister Jeanne Marie recalled. “Our parents gave us a little baby Jesus and we each had a little pink crib. Each day, if we did a sacrifice, we got to put a little piece of straw in the crib.” She said the family would then sing “Happy Birthday” to Jesus. “Whoever sang the best got to blow out the candles that night,” Sister Jeanne Marie said. On Christmas morning, she and her siblings would bring their cribs with the baby Jesus in each and put them under the Nativity scene beneath the Christmas tree.

Symbolism plays an important role in the season of Advent. Sister Jeanne Marie, who holds a Master’s in early childhood education and in theology/liturgical studies, suggests there are many ways we, as Catholics, can use symbols and traditions in this time of preparation.

One of the more common symbols is the Advent wreath, which holds four candles, three purple or violet and one pink or rose colored. One candle is lit each week, with the pink or rose candle being lit on the third Sunday of Advent, also known as Gaudete Sunday.

“As we enter Advent, the seasons change and it’s dark, so we light the candles because the light of Christ is coming to us,” Sister Jeanne Marie said. “We use the purple candles as a sign of penitence and it’s also a sign of royalty. On the third week, we use the pink one, as we are rejoicing because we are closer to Christ’s birth.

Sister Jeanne Marie said making a Jesse Tree can also be an activity for families.

“We go through the history of Jesus’ family tree, and we place an ornament each day on the tree,” she said. “The tree begins with Adam and Eve and goes all the way to Jesus.”

Sister Jeanne Marie suggests developing practices that are geared towards family. She encourages reading the Nativity story to children and for families to set up a manger scene, placing one piece of the set into the manger on a daily basis, saving the baby Jesus as the last piece on Christmas Eve.

She also encourages prayer and reflection for families.

“When I was growing up, we had a Christmas Novena at church that started nine days before Christmas,” she remembered. “I think that was a way for my mom to get us out of the house so she could do something. I always loved going to the Christmas Novena, my dad would take us. It’s an example of families praying together, even if making an intentional prayer asking the Lord to come into our hearts and let family members share how the Lord touched them that day.”

Adults also can use the time of preparation. We are told through Scripture to stay awake, be ready and be watchful.

“For myself, it’s not about how much I have to get done or how much has to get done. It’s a time of silent reflection even amidst
the busyness of our day, even with getting ready for Christmas
with the shopping and buying of food and the cleaning. We need to take that time, even if it’s five or 10 minutes to sit down and say, ‘What is this season about, who are we waiting for and how are we going to let the Lord touch us so he can come to us in our hearts during this time’.”

Sister Jeanne Marie recommends reading Scripture and paying close attention to the Gospels and readings of Advent, which, she said, centers our thoughts on the reason for Advent.

She also encourages the faithful to view Advent through the eyes of our Blessed Mother, Mary.

“One of the things I really like to reflect on is the picture of our Lady of the Millenia,” Sister Jeanne Marie said. “We see Mary waiting and we see the light of Christ is waiting to come into the world. If we look at Advent through her eyes, we can take a whole different perspective.”

Sister Jeanne Marie suggests we have to be ready for Him coming to us, and we have to be aware of those moments when he comes into our lives.

“We have to take time to understand what we are doing during Advent and how we are preparing our hearts for His coming.
All the other things, the wrapping and the gifts, will fall into place
if we know what the center of our heart should be.”