Hope, Peace, Joy & Love

"It is the beautiful task of Advent to awaken in all of us memories of goodness and thus to open doors of hope."

- Pope Benedict XVI

WHAT IS ADVENT?

By Anne-Louise DePalo

This year, Advent is from December 1 through December 24. It is a time of prayer, penance, sacrifice, and spiritual reflection on the Incarnation of Christ, whom we encounter daily, the hope of eternal life, and the second coming of Christ.

Advent comes from the Latin word meaning coming or arrival. Each week, a candle is lit, representing the virtues that Jesus brought us. The candle brings the light of Christ into the darkness of the world and winter.

The first candle symbolizes the virtue of hope and is called the prophecy candle. The second candle for the second week of Advent is the Bethlehem candle, representing peace. The third candle is the shepherd's candle and represents joy, and the fourth candle is the angel's candle and represents love.

In the first week, we focus on hope and the coming of Christ. In the second week, the readings focus on the preaching of John the Baptist. The third week focuses on joy associated with the coming of the Savior, and the fourth Sunday focuses on the events leading up to the birth of Jesus.

The Advent wreath is part of the spiritual preparation for Advent and may be used for prayer and reflection. It is a tradition that dates back to the Middle Ages. The wreath is in the shape of a circle with four candles. The circle is symbolic of no beginning and no end and represents the eternity of God, the immortality of the soul, and the everlasting life we find in Christ. The wreath itself is made up of evergreen, signifying continuous life. Within the wreath itself, there are laurels, which signify the victory over persecution and suffering; pine holly and yew, which signifies immortality; cedar signifies strength and healing; and pinecones, which the wreath is decorated with, symbolizes life and resurrection.

Each Sunday, a candle for the week is lit at Mass, and if you have an Advent wreath at home, you may light each candle on a Sunday and further reflect on the virtues that the Church asks us to consider and develop.

As the first week is Hope, the readings ask us to spend some time reflecting on the hope of Christ's coming and God's promise of redemption.

The second Sunday is Peace. Embrace the Peace that Christ brings into the world and seek peace within yourselves and your relationships.

The third week is Joy. Rejoice in the anticipation of Jesus' arrival.

The fourth week is Love, the sum and summit of our Catholic Faith. Remember God's love for humanity in sending his only Son to suffer and die for us and how we are to reflect that love to others.

The Advent wreath is a beautiful way to celebrate Advent and will help you keep your focus on what Advent and Christmas are about. Advent is an opportunity to be able to spend time in prayer and self-reflection. Do not miss out on the graces and love we can receive and give during this time.

In the upcoming reflections, I will focus on each virtue and how the readings reflect on their meaning and importance in our spiritual pilgrimage through Advent and until the end of our lives.

"The days are coming says the Lord when I will fulfill the promise I made."
Jeremiah 33:14

'Conduct yourselves to please God.'
First Letter of Saint Paul to the Thessalonian 4:1.

"Be vigilant at all times and pray."
Luke 21:36.

Advent 2024 is here. My hope is you truly experience and enjoy Advent and let the season fill your souls with the grace and peace it can give us. The word ADVENT means coming' expectation, and anticipation. Be present to that expectation and anticipation and do not let it pass you by, by focusing all your time and attention on "Christmas."

Advent is a season of self-reflection, penance, prayer, and sacrifice. The four Sundays of Advent each represent the virtues Christ brought to us. During this season we are called to emulate and grow in these virtues as a preparation for Christ's second coming. To grow in each of these virtues is my Advent challenge for myself and you.

The first Sunday represents hope. Advent hopes to recognize Jesus's presence in the world and our lives as we advance to eternity. Through the Incarnation, we encounter Christ and are in a relationship with Him in our vocations, prayer, and existence. Life has purpose and meaning, and we have hope of eternal in him and through Him. Hope is desperately needed in our world, and Pope Francis recognized this has named 2025 the Jubilee Year of Hope.

Today's readings are full of hope and promise. God's promises in Jeremiah and Saint Paul and Christ in Luke tell us to be vigilant and pray and be aware of his presence in our lives. I was particularly struck by Paul's letter to the Thessalonians. "Conduct yourselves to please God." Thessalonians 4:11.

It gave me pause to examine my own life and where I may not be living or behaving in ways that please God. I recall certain behaviors such as leaning on my horn when someone cuts me off, showing a lack of patience with an employee, an unkind word, or annoyance at a fellow churchgoer who sits directly in front of me at Mass when the nearby pews are empty. These are just a few instances that come to mind of my missteps and lack of love. I am aware but do not despair as I know and am certain of Christ's mercy and forgiveness.

I have hope in His love and grace. He is with me as I begin again.

To be present means being aware of my thoughts, behavior, and activities. I ask myself, "Is what I am doing at this moment bringing me closer or further away from the hope of eternal life? Is this activity or decision increasing my friendship with Christ or distancing myself from Him?"

This week spend time in prayer and ask Jesus to show you how to become closer to him and grow in holiness. Pray for hope - the desire and longing for Christ and the attainment of eternal life. This is something we in our world need. Let's join the Christian community by bringing hope into the world during Advent, in 2025, and thereafter.

Baruch 5:1-9,
"You will be named God forever, the peace of justice."

Luke 3:1-6,
"John went throughout the whole region proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins."

As we light the second candle this second Sunday of Advent, the readings ask us to ponder the preaching of John the Baptist who warns us to repent and be converted to Christ. Conversion is a radical turning away from sin and evil and turning towards God, goodness, and virtue. If we live as Christ, we will find peace in our lives and bring peace to the world. During Advent, the Church asks us to prepare for our judgment, be present to Christ in the world today, and prepare for Christ's second coming.

Our God is a God of justice and peace. Justice is defined in Catechism as the moral virtue that consists of the constant and firm will to give one's due to God and neighbor. It is what guides proper relations with others. Peace is a work of justice and leads to well-ordered relationships. Then there is harmony. Peace is the tranquility of the soul. It is not the absence of conflict, but in the face of conflict holding fast to righteousness and being rooted in Christ.

Christ shared our humanity, laid down His life for us showing how to live for others and lay down our own lives in service of others. Repentance, acknowledgment of what we have done wrong, if we have hurt someone, and forgiving those who hurt us builds bridges and peace.

This Sunday and every day of our lives we are called to seek peace within society and our relationships. When I think of peace, I think of bridge building. Reaching out to the other when there is conflict by building a bridge to reach them across the divide. One of my favorite songs from Simon and Garfunkel, "Like a Bridge Over Troubled Water" comes to mind. My favorite lyrics are,' Like a bridge over troubled waters I will lay me down." We all have troubled waters in our lives, families, and souls.

Paul Simon was influenced by Gospel music, The inspiration for "Like a Bridge Over Troubled Waters" was from a song he heard by the Swan Silvertones, called "Mary Don't You Weep." The line, "I'll be your bridge over deep water if you trust in my name became the basis of the song.

What is paradoxical is when we repent our wrongs and forgive others, we become free to love and we allow God's love to enter our souls. The sacrament of reconciliation is such a gift and I urge everyone to go to Confession during this Advent. I always feel as if a weight is lifted from my shoulders and heart after confession. If Christ has mercy and forgives me, how can I not forgive others?

Listen to, "Like a Bridge Over Troubled Waters." Where are you troubled? How can you build a bridge to reconcile with someone who has hurt you? Do it for yourself, as well as for them. Each small act of love and forgiveness calms the troubled waters of the world in our very souls.

The third Sunday of Advent is called Gaudete Sunday, which comes from the Latin word meaning, "rejoice." It marks the halfway point of advent. The candle called the Shepherd's Candle is pink in color, which is the liturgical color for joy. The candle's name derives from the joy that the shepherds felt when they traveled to see Jesus in Bethlehem.

The candle's lighting marks a shift in tone from reflection to anticipation. The readings perfectly describe joy:

Zephaniah 3:14
"Shout for joy, O daughter Zion!"

Psalm Isaiah 12:6
"Cry out with joy and gladness, for among you is the great and holy one of Israel."

Philippians 4:4
"Rejoice in the Lord always. I shall say it again, rejoice."

Luke 3:15
"Now the people were filled with expectation."

Whenever I think of joy I am brought back to a memory from my childhood in the 70's when the song "Joy to the World" by The Three Dog Night was popular. My younger sister was just learning to talk. I was helping to give her a bath. The song was playing and I was singing. My sister became excited, splashed me with water as she exclaimed, "Jeremiah was a bullfrog!" My Mom and I laughed as we all sang, "Joy to the World!" whenever I hear this song I am brought right back to that bathtub and I smile with joy.

The Catholic definition of joy is a lasting feeling of comfort, contentment, and peace of the heart and spirit. It is more than happiness, comfort or pleasure, which is fleeting and not subject to feelings. Matthew Kelly has captured the struggle between comfort and joy we experience, "Our culture confuses comfort and pleasure with joy, and it is difficult to experience the joy of the season when everyone is feverishly striving to obtain things not worth having."

Joy is a state of awe, wonder, wholeness, and expectation of all that is good. It is a gift of the Holy Spirit. The expectation of John the Baptist and his followers in Luke waiting for the Messiah describes this perfectly. I recently read an article about a recent study that found those who experience awe and wonder have better immune systems, mental health, and live longer. They are less self-centered, narcissistic, and less prone to depression. Those without joy turn in on themselves and become isolated, sad, and lonely.

What is awe and wonder that leads to joy? Just watch a sunrise or sunset, gaze at the stars, watch the falling snow; watch a sleeping baby in it's mother's arms. It is a profound connection to God and His creation. It is experiencing something greater than yourself. This sense and inner knowing is so important to human flourishing. It is pure and good.

Our joy as Christians is a joy that should be shouted from the rooftop. Just as the shepherds did when they went and found Jesus in the manger. It is up to us to share that joy with others. To experience the joy of finding Christ and having the presence of the Holy Spirit guide your life and enter your soul is a precious gift to share. The shepherds knew this as did the wise men - he alone is our joy, rejoice always! This is the wonder and joy that was found in the birth of Jesus. He became man so we can become like Him and have eternal life.

Our joy is not in presents but experiencing His presence. There can be no joy without being present, as Saint Lawrence of Brindisi said, "Our joy must be the cause of eternal life for those dead in the world."

The challenge is for us to share that joy with someone who needs it the most. Are you singing for joy?

Micah 5:3
"He shall stand firm and shepherd his flock."

Psalm 80:19
"Give us new life."

Hebrews 10:7
"Behold I come to do your will, O God."

Luke 1:39 
"Mary set out and traveled to the hill country of Judah, where she entered the house of Zachariah and Elizabeth greeted her."

Today, we light the fourth candle of Advent often called the Love candle or Angel Candle. It represents the message of God's love that the angels announced at the birth of Christ. Our anticipation of Christmas and celebrating the incarnation of Christ is at its height.

Love is defined in the Catechism as willing the good of the other. God so loved the world he gave us His only Son. This unconditional sacrificial love is the love we are called to share. To love and know Christ is our greatest good. To love someone is to share Christ and live the way He lived. What is best for us and those we are called to love is to be true to Christ and do the will of His Father. Love is respecting God's love for humanity in and through us. We are to be mirrors of His love. The readings today focus on doing God's will, which in essence is love itself. Christ became one of us to show us what love is, and how we are to love as He did. This love is the only way to true happiness and eternal life

Micah describes the coming Messiah as a shepherd who will lead his flock at great cost. In Psalm 80, the psalmist reminds us to turn to God to have life. In Hebrews, recalling Jesus' words we are reminded, "Behold, I come to do your will, O God." Finally, in Luke we see Mary, who is not concerned for herself, but following the prompting of the Holy Spirit goes to Elizabeth to be with her during her confinement, and the birth of John the Baptist. Love is service and bringing Christ to those we encounter. This love and doing the will of God is evident in the Word.

When contemplating love and the readings the Beatles song, "All You Need Is Love", came to mind. The Beatles' music is so much a part of our culture. The Spirit can use songs to prompt us and help us in our call to God. "All You Need Is Love," is one of my favorites. It was written by John Lennon and Paul McCarthy. John wrote the lyrics. It was Britain's contribution to "Our World," which was the first global television link, where the band performed live. The Beatles were asked to provide a song with a message that would be easily understood by everyone, and "All You Need Is Love" was born. "

It is easily recognized and often used in our culture. Unfortunately, the true meaning of love is misinterpreted in the song. While it is true that love is all you need, the love we all need is the love of Christ - the love of service, suffering, self-sacrifice, and doing the will of God. One cannot truly love unless one loves as Christ loves. Love is more than just a feeling and it ain't easy as John proclaims in the song.

Dietrick Bonhoeffer, who died at the hands of the Nazis, said, "Cheap grace is grace without discipleship, grace without the cross, grace without Jesus Christ, living and incarnate." In a similar vein, cheap love is no love at all. Love is not, "how to play the game," nor is it "easy" as John's lyrics say." Yet, with God's grace and our will turned toward God; there truly is "nothing you can do that can't be done." Nothing is impossible for God.

For your challenge today, listen to "All You Need Is Love," and think of Christ's love. That is all you need. Ask yourself how can you give that love to the world this Christmas and into 2025.