Advent: How It All Began

Definition of Advent

For Western Christians, these are the four weeks that prepare for Christmas and mark the beginning of the liturgical year. They are characterized by a reduction in festive signs: the Gloria is not said (except on the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception). The liturgical color is penitential, or purple (except on the third Sunday of Advent, when rose can be used). The term «Advent» also refers to the «Second Coming» of Christ at the end of history. In the East, the Byzantine Church begins Advent with a forty-day fast starting November 15, and the Western Syrian Church has six weeks of preparation for Christmas.

Origin and Development of Advent

The celebration of Easter in the early Church was dominated by the expectation of the definitive manifestation of the Lord. For this reason, the Paschal Vigil lasted until nightfall. Only then could the liturgical Eucharist begin. The Risen Christ appeared to his disciples in a sacramental way, symbolizing the day without end.

This expectation of the Second Coming of Christ, hence the invocation «Maranatha: Come, Lord» (Rev 22:17.20), was a hallmark of ancient Christian piety.

In pagan concept, the deity came to inhabit his temple on a certain day each year: this advent, or coming, in Latin, could also last several days while festivities continued. Imperial cult adopted this idea: the advent became the visit, anniversary, or festival of the emperor, celebrated as if it were his return.

Christian Advent points to Christmas-Epiphany, which should be seen together as complementary celebrations. Epiphany, a Greek word, indicates the aspect of manifestation of this coming. These feasts are not as ancient or important as Easter, but they spread rapidly and simultaneously in the West and East after Constantine’s freedom in the 4th century. They were, however, already present and expected among Christians.

# In the Fight Against ArianismIn the struggle against Arianism, a heresy that denied Jesus of Nazareth’s divine filiation, Christmas became the feast of the dogma of Christ’s divinity, defined at the Council of Nicaea (325), and its celebration equated to the triumph of orthodoxy.## What Was the Council of Nicaea?The first ecumenical council, convened by Emperor Constantine the Great (d. 337) and held in Nicaea (present-day Iznik, Turkey), addressed the Arian heresy that threatened to disrupt the unity of the Church and the Roman Empire. Arius, a priest from Alexandria, argued that Christ, far from being fully and truly divine, was merely the first creature of God. The Council responded by teaching that Christ is the only-begotten Son of the Father and is consubstantial (Greek word meaning “of the same substance” or “consubstantial”) with the Father. The Council also recognized the patriarchal rights of Alexandria, Antioch, and Rome and established the Alexandrian solution for the date of Easter. A rising star at the Council was Saint Athanasius, who later became Bishop of Alexandria (d. 373), attending as archdeacon and companion to his bishop, Alexander of Alexandria.## Meaning of the Word AdventA Christian word with pagan origins, ADVENT designated initially the Lord’s birthday celebration and the feast of his manifestation (i.e., his return or visit).Initially, according to the word’s meaning, Advent denoted a festival rather than its preparation or expectation. With this term (adventus Domini), Christmas was referred to in the homilies of the Church Fathers, in ancient sacramentaries, and in early Christian calendars. Here, one point must be recovered. In liturgical celebration, the three dimensions of history always coexist:– **Memory of the past.** – **Mystery celebrated in the present.** – **Anticipation of the future.**Emphasizing this triple dimension of the Advent mystery is essential to avoid impoverishing or even distorting its meaning, overshadowed by popular devotion to the birth of the Baby Jesus, a pagan tendency that constantly resurfaces and is never fully overcome.In our case, it involves the expectation of the Savior’s birth, experienced for many centuries by God’s people, Israel. His human birth or incarnation. The manifestation in glory, at the end of history, the parousia.# The Official Visit of a SovereignIn the earliest Christian documents (1 Thessalonians 4:15, 1 Corinthians 15:23), the term *parousia* signifies **the glorious second coming of Christ** at the end of history to judge the world (Matthew 24:29-31, 25:31-46). This will be **the Lord’s Day** (1 Corinthians 1:8) when Christ “**appears a second time**” (Hebrews 9:28). Christians are called to patiently await this coming (James 5:7-8, 2 Peter 1:16, 3:4, 1 John 2:28). The Synoptic Gospels relate the end-time expectation with a warning to be vigilant (Matthew 24:36, 25:13, Mark 13:1-37, Luke 21:5-36). John’s Gospel speaks of resurrection that will occur on **the last day** (John 6:39, 40, 44, 54, 11:24). **The future coming of Christ in glory to judge the living and the dead** is professed in various **symbols of faith**. The Eastern traditions emphasize the collective dimension of this future realization more than the Western ones. Some contemporary theologians prefer not to speak of the **”second” coming**, as *parousia* is merely the final consequence of Christ’s first coming through his Incarnation. Today, we can say that it will be **the world coming to God in parousia, rather than Christ to the world**.## The History of AdventHistorically speaking, the birth of the Savior was prepared in the Old Testament. Psychologically, the mystery of Christmas, due to its growing popular success to the point of threatening to surpass Easter, required **a period of preparation**. However, no parallel timeframe was ever established with the Lenten period, which has a completely different meaning (especially with its joyful yet restrained tone).While the **Paschal Cycle** (Lent and the time immediately after Easter in particular) appears uniform and solidly structured in the liturgical calendars of both Eastern and Western Christianity, Advent presents itself with extremely diverse solutions across various churches. From a Sunday perspective, it is a peculiarity of Latin Western Christianity. Even today, while the Roman Rite celebrates it over four weeks, the Milan Church observes six Sundays, as does the Syrian Church.The history of Advent **is complex and sometimes obscure**. It did not have a single birthplace but emerged simultaneously in several regions with diverse characteristics, including **baptismal** (in Spain and Gaul, due to Eastern influence, it consisted of three weeks—from December 17 to January 6—of intense catechesis, culminating in the Epiphany as the feast of Jesus’ baptism in the Jordan). It emerged relatively late (6th-7th centuries). Its **ascetic and spiritual** character prevailed over its liturgical dimension.It is impossible to trace here the history of Advent in the Western churches (Hispanic, Gallican, Ambrosian, among others). However, it must be recognized that its eschatological character (the expectation of Christ’s final manifestation as judge) so strongly felt in the origins, has faded and become obscure over the centuries, almost disappearing, due to the growth until it became nearly exclusive—the vision of Christmas as the feast of Jesus’ birth from Mary. Advent is increasingly understood as a sacred representation: the annual repetition of the expectations and preparations of the Old Testament.The current liturgical reform, as appears in the Lectionary, Missal, and Liturgy of the Hours texts, aiming to recover the eschatological dimension, carried out a practical operation: during the first weeks, it gave a predominantly eschatological character (Escatological Advent). From December 17th to 24th, it took on a distinctly natal character (Advent of Christmas, and here are found the most important Marian elements). The Christmas feast, though other themes do not lack, celebrates the Incarnation, that is, Jesus’ earthly birth. All subsequent feasts, including Epiphany, follow this line.One can say that the state and situation of Advent are permanent: the Church experiences a perpetual Advent until the Lord comes. The mystery of Advent coincides with the mystery of history, which reveals God’s judgment on the world. Indeed, expectation and hope are the distinctive mark of Christian faith. For St. Bernard, “the sacrament” of Advent is equivalent to Christ’s presence in the world: its four weeks are a sign of the interval between the first and second manifestation, that is, the time of the Church.

Prayer by Adrienne von Speyr:

Mary’s Prayer in the Sweet Expectation of the Child

Father, You gave me Your Son. He comes to me as God and also as the Baby I am expecting.I pronounced the first yes in faith, in trust, in hope, when I knew that Your will had to be done in me.I pronounced that yes in the Spirit of Your Son, who will be my Son. I could not refuse, for through You, my Son made a question.Father, now there is great fear in me. It is the anguish before Your mystery, the anguish of not being up to the task You present to me. How should I, Your servant, raise Your Son? How should I accompany Him in His first years? How can He learn to speak with You through me? How can He understand from me how to worship You?Father, I only ask for one thing: keep my ‘yes’ safe. Keep it now, when anguish throbs within me. Always keep it as the word I do not have strength to utter, yet which I gave to my Son.God Spirit, I too said ‘yes’ to You. I said yes to be a mother, the mother I am meant to be for my Son. The Boy was given to me, entrusted to me, because He Himself destined me from all eternity to be His Mother.And before this mystery, now a great fear invades me. I know that not only did I give You my body, but also my soul, so that You might fertilize both body and soul, so that both truly serve the Son of the Father who brought You to me.But I am afraid. And I do not know if Your Spirit eases the anguish in my soul or provokes it. I only beg You: keep my ‘yes’, give me strength to show You every day anew that I want to say ‘yes’ very much. That is why I pray for Your Spirit, who belongs to the Father and to my Son.My little one, my God, I adore You. You are still too small to understand my anguish. Yet, You are my God. You are the God we so longed for and whom chose me to be Your Mother.And if now I experience this anguish, I am truly anguished for You, because I know that You will know anguish like no one else ever did. I do not ask You to take away this anguish from me. I only pray that You would let it bear fruit in You and that, knowing the deep anguish of man, when the Father and the Spirit abandon You, You still have a Mother. A Mother who knows Your anguishes, at least in part.Grant, O Father, Son, and Spirit, that by Your grace I fulfill my task, which I certainly do not understand. That I fulfill it as You expect of me. And dispose of me day after day according to Your will, always listening to the ‘yes’, even when I no longer have strength to utter it. Amen.To delve deeper into Mary’s role in the Advent season, consult Pope Paul VI’s Apostolic Exhortation Marialis Cultus on Mary’s presence in the liturgical year.For further study: explore Mariology, Theological Marian Studies, Marian Apparitions, and the Master’s Degree in Mariology.