Lights for a Waiting World
Celebrating Advent with the Saints
Abbey Press
Contents
Introduction
Foreword by Bishop Robert Morneau
The First Week of Advent
Sunday
Monday: Saint Francis Xavier
Tuesday: Saint Dominic Savio
Wednesday: Saint Edmund Campion
Thursday: Saint Benedict of Nursia
Friday: Saint Odilia of Alsace
Saturday: Saints Frances Cabrini, Theodora Guerin, Rose Philippine Duchesne, and Marianne Cope
The Second Week of Advent
Sunday
Monday: Saint Peter Claver
Tuesday: Blessed Charles de Foucauld
Wednesday: Saint Josephine Bakhita
Thursday: Saint Maximilian Kolbe
Friday: Saint Francis of Assisi
Saturday: Saint Thomas More
The Third Week of Advent
Sunday
Monday: Saint Teresa Benedicta of the Cross (Edith Stein)
Tuesday: Saint Mary of Egypt
Wednesday: Saint Alphonsus Liguori
Thursday: Saint Hildegard of Bingen
Friday: Saint Paul
The Fourth Week of Advent
Sunday
December 17–23: The Days of the “O” Antiphons
December 17: Saint Aloysius Gonzaga
December 18: Saint Joseph
December 19: The Holy Angels
December 20: Saints Anne and Joachim
December 21: The Prophets
December 22: The Blessed Virgin Mary
December 23: Saint John the Baptist
December 24: The Ancestors of Jesus
December 25: Christmas Day
Days of Special Celebrations
November 30: The Feast of Saint Andrew the Apostle
December 8: The Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception
December 12: The Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe
About the Author
This book is dedicated to Father Gavin Barnes, O.S.B.
Be patient, brothers and sisters,
until the coming of the Lord.
See how the farmer waits for the precious fruit
of the earth,
being patient with it
until it receives the early and the late rains.
You too must be patient.
Make your hearts firm,
because the coming of the Lord is at hand.
—James 5:7–8
Introduction
Well over a century ago, the German theologian Christoph Freidrich Blumhard observed, “We who are here have been led in a special way to keep what is coming in our hearts and to shape ourselves according to it. That which comes from God—that is what moves our hearts, not only in these days but at all times. That which is to come from God is the most important thing we have, in the past and in the present and in the future.”
Advent is a season of promise that challenges us to look to the future, both the near future, when we will recall the Incarnation of Christ at Christmas, and to the end of time, when Christ will return in glory. To say it another way, Advent is a time in the Church’s calendar of feasts and seasons that is as much concerned about the future as it is the past.
As Christians, we don’t simply believe that the Incarnation—the mystery of God becoming a human being—is a point that can be defined on a calendar or timeline. Instead, because of the great gift given to humanity in the birth of Jesus of Nazareth more than two millennia ago, all of history and what it means to be human has been forever changed.
Through the centuries, great Christian thinkers have struggled to find ways to put this mystery into everyday language. Saint Athanasius of Alexandria wrote, “By taking our nature and offering it in sacrifice, the Word was to destroy it completely and then invest it with His own nature.” Saint Maximus “the Confessor” had a slightly different perspective: “The Word of God, born once in the flesh, is always willing to be born spiritually into those who desire Him.” I feel, however, that the words of Saint Proclus of Constantinople best sum up the Incarnation and the wonders that are at the heart of Advent and Christmas: “Christ appeared in the world, and bringing beauty out of disarray, gave it luster and joy … Into the fabric of miracles he interwove ever greater miracles.”
The four-week season of Advent is a time of miracles. These days have the power to transform us, if we can be open to the graces of the season. Through watching, waiting, silence, and prayer we can begin to recognize all the ways that the Incarnation continues to shape us, our Church, and all of creation. We Christians are an “advent people” who believe that while Christ was born for and among humanity so long ago, we also believe that he comes to us today in word and sacrament and in others. Finally, we believe that he will come again, in glory, in the fullness of time.
In this little book, we will watch and wait for Christ’s comings with the saints. These blessed souls lived in the reality of Advent each day of their lives. Worshipping the one who had already come, they sought out and served the Christ who was really present in every person they encountered, and they lived in the constant hope that everything promised to humankind would be fulfilled in the Kingdom of God.
The following reflections and prayers are inspired by the passages of Scripture read during the Mass each day of Advent. The saints, whose lives form an important part of these musings, embodied so many of the Advent virtues. My hope is that their stories will serve as living icons for the promises and prophecies that make up our Church’s Advent prayer.
A special feature of the Season of Advent is the days from December 17–23. Unlike the rest of the days of Advent (which can occur on different dates each year), these final days before Christmas are among the most sacred of the Church Year (similar, in fact, to the days of Holy Week). On these days, the theme of Advent shifts to help us prepare to celebrate the mystery of the Nativity at Christmas. This book follows the flow of the liturgy and so, when December 17 arrives, I encourage you begin reading the appropriate reflections for each day.
In structuring this book, I have also included special reflections for three non-Advent celebrations that occur within Advent: the Feast of Saint Andrew the Apostle (November 30), the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception (December 8), and the Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe (December 12). These are major celebrations in the life of the Church and it is most fitting if the reflections for those days are read in place of the Advent reflection. Those three additional reflections are found in the appendix at the end of this book.
The readings for the Mass of each day of Advent have been listed at the end of each day’s reflection. If time allows, spend a few moments each day reading these verses, as a way to help focus your attention during what is for many of us the busiest time of the year. Finally, a prayer has been designated for the first three weeks of Advent and for the days of the “O” Antiphons (December 17–23). I want to offer a special word of thanks to Father Harry Hagan, O.S.B., a scripture scholar whose numerous poems and hymn texts have enriched the minds and hearts of so many in the United States and England, myself included. Consider concluding your time of reflection by offering these prayers.
My hope is that this book will help you celebrate Advent with a renewed mind and heart as you journey toward Bethlehem and, ultimately, the Kingdom of God with the saints, whose lives, like the lights of so many stars in a dark sky, help dispel the darkness as we watch and wait for the coming of the Light.
Silas S. Henderson
Foreword
In a retreat conference entitled “The Communion of Saints,” Evelyn Underhill, an influential spiritual writer, reminded the retreatants (and us) that our Christian religion has both a visible and invisible side. We are the visible side; the saints are the invisible side. Our faith confirms that there is great mutuality and reciprocity between the two sides. The saints continue to influence our lives in a variety of ways through their writings, their prayers of intercession, and their great witness of holiness.
In Pope Paul VI’s Evangelii Nuntiandi, one of the greatest pastoral documents of the Church, the Holy Father also reminds us of the importance of the saints. They have been and continue to be mentors and models, teachers and witnesses of our faith life.
Every generation needs to hear about who the saints are and what contributions they have made to furthering God’s Kingdom. Silas Henderson continues that tradition in this volume. For some readers, these reflections will be an introduction to one of those mature spiritual personalities (i.e. “saints”) who said “yes” to the Lord. For other readers, it will be a reminder of a saint or two who again needs to be heard from and dialogued with.
Come Christmas, we will be better prepared to celebrate the Lord’s Nativity because we have spent quality time reflecting upon the lives of the saints and conversing with them. Many of the saints teach us the importance of balance in our spiritual life: balance of prayer and spiritual reading, balance between rest and work, balance between fasting and feasting. The saints demonstrate that the spiritual journey is one of dying to self and consecrating our lives to God’s will. The saints witness to the joy of the Gospel and the peace that only the Holy Spirit can give.