Advent: Do You Know What We Pray?

Advent is characteristic of the Christian West. The biblical and euchological texts (prayers) and the chants of the Missal and of the Liturgy of the Hours for this season in the Roman Rite, but also in the Ambrosian and Mozarabic Rites, are unequaled. 

The recent reform enriched it considerably, redefining its themes and contents with greater precision. For this reason, Advent presents itself as a school of spirituality that is valid not only for the liturgical season it represents, but for the entire age of history that runs between Pentecost and the Parousia.

The biblical readings, both of the Eucharistic celebration and of the Office, are arranged in thematic units so as to give as complete and harmonious a picture as possible.

The Gospel readings have their own distinctive character on each Sunday of Advent: 

• they refer to the coming of the Lord at the end of time (1st Sunday), 
• to John the Baptist (2nd and 3rd Sundays), 
• and to the immediate antecedents of the birth (4th Sunday). 

The Old Testament readings are prophecies about the Messiah and the messianic age, taken mainly from the Book of Isaiah. The readings from the Apostle contain exhortations and proclamations in harmony with the characteristics of this season.

For ferial days there is a twofold series of readings, corresponding to the two periods that Advent comprises. For the eschatological Advent, the messianic oracles of the prophet Isaiah, an author regarded as typical of this period, are read according to the system of semicontinuous reading, that is, following the order of the text in anthological fashion. The Gospel pericope, chosen in dependence on this reading, seeks to show its fulfillment or intends to make a connection with the preaching and work of John the Baptist, especially from Thursday of the Third Week onward. On the days from December 17 to 24, the events that preceded the birth of the Savior are read in continuous sequence from the Infancy Gospels.

The first reading, also from the Old Testament, dwells on the messianic oracles or on the texts thematically related to them. Whereas during the liturgical year the Gospel reading is normally the dominant one in the Lectionary for Mass, owing to the historical situation characteristic of the eschatological Advent, up to December 16 it is the memorial: the oracles about the Messiah and His time, especially those of the prophet Isaiah, are the starting point for seeking their fulfillment in the Gospel.

Even the biblical readings of the Office of Readings are always taken from the Old Testament. During Advent, passages from the Book of Isaiah are read; added to these are the Book of Ruth, regarded as prophecy, and some prophecies from the Book of Micah.

The messianic oracles

The preaching of Isaiah (we limit our attention to this prophet), situated between the end of the eighth century and the beginning of the seventh century B.C. (Is 1-39), in a time of deviation from the law and infidelity to the covenant, interweaves the themes of the denunciation of sin and the threat of punishment with the proclamation of a new future for Israel and for humanity. The classic theme of Israel as adulteress and harlot also comes to the fore, in contrast with the faithful and passionate love of YHWH. 

The Book of Consolation, or Deutero-Isaiah (Is 40-55), refers to a prophet who lived in exile and who interprets the situation of the Babylonian captivity by analogy with the Egyptian slavery: his is the joyful proclamation of a second liberation, of a new covenant, and of a more universal exodus toward a promised land, lived in an eschatological perspective.

A persistent feature is the emphasis placed on interior renewal: it will be brought about by the Spirit whom God will give to His people. The recipient of this transformation will be the remnant of Israel, that is, the poor and humble (the anawin) who place their total trust in YHWH: they are the bearers of the promises, and from them the messianic people will be born. In this message, a more spiritual conception of the covenant clearly emerges.

From these oracles emerges the original meaning of the history brought about by revelation: the vision of the future, set against the memory of the past and the experience of the present, shows that YHWH is progressively carrying out a unified plan of salvation for humanity. History becomes intelligible and receives meaning only in the light of faith, because it is God who guides events with a power that overcomes every obstacle. The kingdom will surely come about. The future will have the meaning of a creative act that will overturn the old things, devastated and degraded by sin, in order to make the desert bloom again as a paradise or Eden, that is, to bring man back to his original integrity.

For Israel there is, and always will be (and this also holds for the people of the new covenant), a danger: that of religious formalism, which nurtures the false certainty of considering oneself righteous without conversion, because one believes in promises and keeps the law, formalized in certain religious or ascetical practices.

Advent Prayer
Pope Francis

To welcome You,
To prepare our earth,
To believe in You,
Our great Lord,
There is nothing extraordinary to do:
It is enough to have a clear heart without disguise,
It is enough to have a gentle gaze without malice.
It is enough to put a smile and joy upon our lips.

It is enough to open our hands to give and to share.
It is enough to be attentive and faithful to Your Word.
It is enough to love without measuring tenderness.
It is enough to hear Your call and change our lives, Lord!
You may come, Lord.

The earth and its inhabitants,
Through You, change the colors of life.

Amen.

To explore Marian prayer in Advent more deeply, consult the Apostolic Exhortation Marialis Cultus of Paul VI, on the presence of Mary in the liturgy and prayer of the Church.

Deepen your studies: explore Mariology, Marian Theology, Marian apparitions, and the Postgraduate Program in Mariology.