New beginnings...

Over Thanksgiving break I was home in Vineland, so I went to Mass at St. Isidore's to visit everyone. I've been going to Mass at the Newman House since October, and it was so nice to return to all the "smells and bells" for a little while. 

I picked a good day to show up, and admittedly had planned it that way. Our usual elaborate decor has been stripped down, replaced by plain purple banners that hang behind the altar. Most of the flowers were taken away, and evergreen branches laid in their place. The scent was light, but the transition made me aware of the changes to come on more than just an intellectual level.

This past Saturday evening began the Advent season, the beginning of the new liturgical (Church) year. Our year is broken up into seasons:

Advent- Four weeks before Christmas.

Christmas- Dec. 25 and eight days after.

Ordinary Time- The "normal" time of the year; nothing particularly special celebrated.

Lent- Starts with Ash Wednesday and continues for 40 days until Easter, not counting Sundays. (Sundays are treated as breaks in our fasting, so they aren't included.)

The Triduum- Three days before Easter; the most solemn time of the Church year that includes Holy Thursday, Good Friday, and the Easter Vigil on Saturday night, where new converts are baptized and/or confirmed. (Wikipedia, while usually unreliable, is particularly good with explaining the Vigil).

Easter Season- Begins at the Easter Vigil and continues for 50 days until Pentecost.

Ordinary Time- Picks up again until Advent.

The liturgical year is based entirely on the life of Jesus. It makes sense, then, that Advent is a solemn period of reflection and prayer to prepare ourselves to celebrate His birth. The same thing occurs on a larger scale during Lent, which includes fasting. Advent is also at the end of the standard calendar year, and we use it to reflect on the other arrival of Jesus: the Second Coming at the end of time.

I love Advent. Things may be a bit subdued and solemn, but there's also an expectancy reflected in the prayers, songs and rituals we use. It's time to start over. Joy is coming, and this month is perfect for readying ourselves to receive it.

It also means that the carols start showing up at Mass. ;) Here's one you may recognize, performed by guitarist Trace Bundy and singer/songwriter Josh Garrels. The latter writes very raw, sometimes dark, and entirely non-cheesy Christian music. Do check him out.