Journey to Advent

By Christina Galeone
CFP Correspondent

The first person to celebrate Advent did so with a perfect purity of heart, mind, body and soul. She did so with such an awe-inspiring outpouring of unconditional love for God and his Son, that her Magnificat (Luke 1:46-55) is also referred to as the Canticle of Mary and is part of the “Liturgy of the Hours.”
After traveling to selflessly help her cousin, Elizabeth, the Blessed Virgin Mary humbly rejoiced by declaring, “My soul magnifies the Lord and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior; because he has regarded the lowliness of his handmaid; for behold, henceforth all generations shall call me blessed; because he who is mighty has done great things for me, and holy is his name; and his mercy is from generation to generation on those who fear him.”
No one can experience Mary’s once-for-all-time journey to Christmas. But we can renew our commitment to Jesus every day. Area priests and religious recently offered suggestions on how to accomplish that.

1.Traditional Christmas Hymns, Advent Meditation Booklets and
the “Liturgy of the Hours”

Father Conrad S. Pecevich, who leads a weekly Zoom Bible study and writes a weekly column for “The Catholic Free Press,” believes there are several ways Christians can become more committed to Jesus during the season of Advent. He said that in addition to using Advent meditation booklets to enhance meditation and prayer, he recommends praying the “Liturgy of the Hours” to “enter the rhythm of the season.”
He also believes that music can nurture our faith.
“For me, it’s good to listen to the religious hymns of Christmas during the Advent season in order to capture the excitement of Christmas coming. The feast of Christmas comes and goes so fast that we don’t have time to appreciate the treasury of Christmas hymns that our Church possesses,” Father Pecevich said.
He added, “Get involved early in the excitement of the birth of the Lord approaching.”

2. Mass and the Holy Eucharist

Father Enoch Kyeremateng, priest in residence at St. Luke the Evangelist Parish in Westborough and head of the Worcester Diocese’s African Ministry, hopes Christians will remember “to prepare for the joyful event of the beginning of our redemption.”
He noted that Christians should celebrate the first and second coming of Jesus.
“The Nativity of our Lord calls us to the joyful celebration of the beginning of our redemption,” Father Kyeremateng said. “Both events remind us of the Christian duty to be joyful in the Lord, because the good news of our Lord has been brought to us; we no longer have a broken heart. Besides, we were once in captivity; now liberty is granted unto us to proclaim the favor of the Lord.”
During the seasons of Advent and Christmas, he advises Catholics to renew their commitment to Jesus by participating (in person) in daily Mass and the holy Eucharist, which, he said, is how the bond “between ourselves and the Redeemer” is established.
“Advent and Christmas are the seasons to rekindle what we possess, the eternal happiness which frees us from every evil,” Father Kyeremateng shared. “I would add my voice to the call of his lordship, Most Rev. Robert McManus, Bishop of Worcester, and encourage all Catholics to seize this season to renew our love for the Mass. Let us come out to celebrate our life, the Eucharist, which is the highest point and the source and summit of our Christian faith.”

3. Quiet Reflection on God’s Gifts

Sister Janet Ballentine, a Sister of Mercy of the Americas who volunteers and is on the board of directors at the McAuley Nazareth Home in Leicester, where she was once executive director, hopes that Christians, individually and as a faith community, will be grateful for God’s gifts.
“Advent is a wonderful time to renew that spirit of gratitude and recognize the gifts God has given us,” she said.
In trying to renew our commitment to Jesus, Sister Janet believes it’s best to “keep it simple” and consider doing something that she tries to do every day. “My suggestion is that (people) take 20 minutes a day to sit quietly and consider the gifts that God has given to them – one being the gift of his only Son,” she shared. “And all the many other gifts.”
 
4. Quiet Prayer and Praise

Sister Katherine Maria Mueller, a member of the Slaves of the Immaculate Heart of Mary of Saint Benedict Center in Still River, believes that despite hatred and evil – that “swirl around us in a frenzy of distractions,” including cyber obsessions, materialism, angry ideologies and angry factions – “focus on the meaning of life that is restored in the daily consciousness of Christmas.”
“Christmas battles these complications with exquisite simplicity; a baby is our God,” Sister Katherine Maria shared. She added, “It is a uniting force beyond politics. It is the only common factor to everyone; we were all once a baby, and, in some cases, that is our only commonality. Jesus, the baby, the savior, is our hope, our only peace.”
Like Sister Janet, she recommends that Christians quietly focus on Jesus. “Stop looking for satisfaction in temporal distractions; find peace in Jesus, our God, the baby,” Sister Katherine Maria advised. “I suggest a simple repetitive prayer that never wears out, sort of like ‘I love you … I love you.’ The Jesus prayer comes to mind; ‘Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner.’ Fill your mind with this prayer until every cheap video image, every foul word, every evil desire is literally squeezed out, and a peace the world cannot give permeates your being. Then hold the baby high, and say. ‘Oh, Jesus, how easy it is to find you; Merry Christmas, my source of joy.’”


PHOTO: A figurine of the baby Jesus is pictured as Pope Francis celebrates Christmas Eve Mass in St. Peter's Basilica at the Vatican Dec. 24, 2020. (CNS photo/Vatican Media)