Advent and Mary: The Virgin in the Time of Waiting

Advent and Mary, the Virgin in the Time of Waiting

The Advent Season: A Time for Mary’s Presence to Shine

Advent is the liturgical season during which Mary’s presence is highlighted with special emphasis. The liturgical reform of Vatican II confirmed that this period should be considered a “privileged Marian time” (MC 4): the biblical readings, prayers, and unique celebrations of Advent consistently place Mary at the center of the Incarnation mystery that the Church prepares to celebrate. As emphasized in Marialis Cultus, Mary’s veneration during Advent is an “ancient and constant tradition.”

The Three-Fold Dimension of Advent

Christian Advent has a triple temporal dimension: it is a memory of Israel’s preparation over centuries; it is a present celebration of the Incarnation mystery; and it is an anticipation of Christ’s glorious coming at the end of time. This threefold aspect—past, present, and eschatological—prevents Advent from being reduced to mere sentimental preparation for Christmas. The liturgical reform distinguishes between a “scatological Advent” (from the first to the third week, featuring Isaiah’s oracles and John the Baptist’s preaching) and a “natal Advent” (December 17-24), during which Marian elements are more prominent.

Important Marian Celebrations in Advent

The liturgical calendar of Advent includes several significant Marian celebrations. The Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception (December 8) celebrates Mary, the virgin without spot, as the “forerunner of salvation,” the anticipatory realization within the Church of God’s desired sanctification for all humanity. The Feast of December 20, an inheritance from the ancient “Golden Mass,” commemorates the Angel’s Announcement to Mary (Luke 1:26-38), with the reading from Isaiah 7:10-14 (“Behold, a virgin shall conceive”). December 21 celebrates the Visitation and the Magnificat. The Fourth Sunday of Advent is the “Marian Sunday” that looks forward to Christmas: Mary, in her total dedication to God, is the sign of full openness to the coming God.

The Marian Synthesis of Advent

At the heart of the Advent synthesis is Mary’s attitude of listening. Her *fiat* is not merely an act of obedience but the most perfect expression of biblical faith: Mary accepts God’s word with humility, availability, and eagerness, conceiving the Word in her heart before her body (Saint Augustine, Sermo 215,4). This *faith of Mary*, as it is traditionally termed in liturgical scholarship, is likened to Abraham’s faith: like Abraham believed in an impossible promise, Mary believes that “nothing is impossible with God” (Luke 1:37). Advent invites the whole Church to learn from Mary this fundamental attitude of faith as listening, receiving, and surrendering to God’s plan.

Mary: The Synthesis of Messianic Preparation

Mary is described as the “woman of the fullness of time” (Galatians 4:4): she marks a transition and opens the future. In Mary, all of Israel’s hope converges—the prophecies of Isaiah, the messianic psalms, the anticipation of the “daughter of Zion” awaiting the Messiah—and she fulfills them uniquely and definitively. Jesus’ genealogy in Matthew 1 concludes with Mary: she is the final link in a long chain of faith, the goal of God’s preparation. Thus, Advent, by recalling this preparation, places Mary at its center as the most beautiful face of this fertile expectation.

The Virgin Mother as Type of the Church

Advent reveals Mary as a type and model for the Church. The Spirit who descended upon Mary at the Annunciation (Luke 1:35) is the same Spirit who descended on the apostles at Pentecost (Acts 1:8). Mary’s haste to visit Elizabeth mirrors the missionary impulse; she is the model of availability to the Spirit’s mission. The Church, celebrating Advent, recognizes itself in this image: a community of believers who await, listen, receive, and bear Christ into the world, following Mary’s example and intercession from Nazareth (see Dictionary Mariological: Nazareth).

Further Study

Dive deeper into these topics with our resources: explore Mariology, Annunciation, Visitation, and consider a Postgraduate Degree in Mariology.—

Church Teaching

> *In the preparation for the birth of the Lord, the Church presents the image of Mary, who, in Advent itself, is the sign of hope and joy.* (Paul VI, Exh. Ap. *Marialis Cultus*, n. 4, February 2, 1974)📚 Literal Translation: In the preparation for the Lord’s Nativity, the Church proposes the image of the Virgin Mary who, in Advent, is herself a sign of hope and joy.> “Behold, a virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and his name shall be called Emmanuel.”(Isaiah 7:14 (Vulgata Clementina)📚 Literal Translation: Behold that the virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and his name will be called Emmanuel.

Deepen your understanding of the Perpetual Virginity of Mary.