Advent: Do you know what we pray?

# Advent: Unique to Western ChristianityAdvent is characteristic of Western Christian practice. The biblical texts, liturgical prayers (eucological), and chants from the Roman Rite, as well as the Ambrosian and Mozarabic Rites, are unparalleled during this period.The recent reform significantly enriched it, redefining its themes and content more precisely. Thus, Advent presents itself as a valid school of spirituality not only for the liturgical time it represents but also for the entire historical period between Pentecost and the Parousia.Biblical readings, both in the celebration of the Eucharist and in the Office, are organized into thematic units to provide a comprehensive and harmonious picture.## Unique Features of Advent Gospel Readings:– **Refer to the Lord’s coming at the end of time** (First Sunday). – **Focus on John the Baptist** (Second and Third Sundays). – **Precede the immediate events leading up to the birth** (Fourth Sunday).## Old Testament Readings:These are prophecies about the Messiah and the messianic age, primarily extracted from the Book of Isaiah. Apostolic readings contain exhortations and announcements that resonate with the themes of this time.# Advent Readings: A Double SeriesFor the two periods of Advent, there is a dual series of readings. For eschatological Advent, the Messianic oracles of Prophet Isaiah, considered typical of this period, are read using a semi-continuous reading system, following the order of the text anthologically. The Gospel pericope, dependent on this, aims to show its fulfillment or connect with John the Baptist’s preaching and work, especially from the fifth day of the third week.**From December 17th to 24th**, events preceding the birth of the Savior are continuously read in the Gospels of Infancy.The first reading, also from the Old Testament, emphasizes Messianic oracles or texts thematically related. While during the liturgical year, the Gospel reading usually dominates the Mass lectionary, due to the historical context of eschatological Advent until December 16th, the focus is on Isaiah’s oracles about the Messiah and his time, serving as a starting point to seek their fulfillment in the Gospel.Even the readings from the Office are always taken from the Old Testament. During Advent, passages from the Book of Isaiah are read, supplemented by the Book of Ruth, considered prophetic, and some prophecies from the Book of Micah.## The Messianic OraclesOur focus is limited to Prophet Isaiah, active towards the end of the 8th century and beginning of the 7th century BCE (Is 1-39), during a time of legal deviation and alliance infidelity. His preaching intertwines themes of sin denunciation and threat of punishment with the announcement of a new future for Israel and humanity. The classic theme of Israel’s adulterous and prostituted state also emerges, in contrast to YHWH’s faithful and passionate love.The Book of Consolation or Deutero-Isaiah (Is 40-55) refers to a prophet who lived in exile, interpreting the Babylonian captivity situation in analogy with Egyptian slavery: it proclaims a second liberation and a new covenant and promised land, experienced eschatologically.A recurring emphasis is on interior renewal, to be achieved by the Spirit that God will give to His people. The recipients of this transformation are Israel’s remainder, i.e., the poor and humble (the anawin) who place their full trust in YHWH: they are the carriers of the promises, from whom the messianic people will arise. In this message, a more spiritual conception of the covenant emerges clearly.**The Original Meaning of the Historical Narrative Revealed:**From these oracles emerges the original sense of the history accomplished through revelation: **the vision of the future, when confronted with the memory of the past and the experience of the present, reveals that YHWH progressively realizes a **unified salvational project for humanity**. History becomes intelligible and gains meaning only from faith, as it is God who guides events with a force that overcomes all obstacles. The Kingdom will certainly come. The future holds significance as a creative act that will overthrow the old, devastated, and degraded by sin, to make the desert bloom once more as a paradise or Eden, thus restoring humanity to its original integrity.****The Danger for Israel and the New Covenant People:**For Israel—and this applies equally to the people of the new covenant—there exists, and always will exist, a danger: that of religious formalism, which fosters a false sense of righteousness without conversion, because one believes in promises and keeps the law formalized through certain religious or ascetic practices.**Advent Prayer**Pope Francis**To Welcome You**To prepare our landTo believe in You,Our great Lord,There is nothing extraordinary to be done:It suffices to have a pure and undisguised heart,A gentle and malicious-free gaze.It only takes to place on our lips a smile and joy.It suffices to open our hands to give and share.To be attentive and faithful to Your Word.To love without measuring tenderness.To listen to Your call and change our lives, Lord!Come, Lord!**The land and its inhabitants,**Through You, change the colors of life.Amen.**For a deeper understanding of Marian prayer during Advent**, consult the Apostolic Exhortation *Marialis Cultus* by Paul VI on the *Presence of Mary* in liturgy and Church prayer.**Explore Further:**– Mariology – Mariana Theology – Marian Apparitions – Postgraduate Studies in Mariology