This Sunday – Dec. 17th – is the Third Sunday of Advent. This Sunday (and each day this week, if you are doing this at home), we light two purple candles and a pink candle on our Advent wreaths.
Advent is a time for us to reflect upon, engage in, and renew our faith.
There are four topics associated with Advent (i.e., faith-renewing reflections):
- Hope: Hope is one of the three theological virtues – hope, faith, and charity – which are viewed by Catholics and Episcopalians as being infused in us by God at baptism (read more about theological and cardinal virtues here). Read Pope Francis’ suggestions about cultivating hope here. During Advent, we light candles of hope (light) during a season of darkness (northern hemisphere).
- Peace: On a personal level, peace is more than “quiet, harmony, internal balance” that can be sought or achieved “for its’ own sake.” Rather than seeking personal peace as an end in itself, peace is the result of sacrificial love – Christ’s sacrificial love for us and our sacrificial love for other people. Pope Francis thoughts on this idea can be read about here. Peace is a consequence of a faith well lived rather than something we can achieve for its’ own sake.
- Joy: Joy “is the fruit of living all the virtues.” In addition, joy comes from knowing “the love God has for us” (1 John 4:16) and from being of service to other people. In short, joy comes from a life well-lived rather than a state of being that we can – or should – cultivate for its’ own sake (living for others helps produce joy rather than the self-focused activity of us seeking joy for our own sake).
- Love (another of the three theological virtues!): “Perfect love casts out fear” (1 John 4:18). In a world where we need more peace, casting away fear – via love – could go a long way toward achieving more peace (many ill human behaviors driven by fear. Not just societal level wars – how many times have each of us made personal/localized decisions based on fear when we could have made better decisions?). Love, therefore, is important for us to put into practice and to seek to cultivate in others. When Jesus was asked by the Pharisees which of the commandments is greatest, he said “Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ This is the greatest and most important commandment. The second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as you love yourself.’ All of Moses’ Teachings and the Prophets depend on these two commandments” (Matthew 22: 34-40). Do you love the Lord your God with all your heart? Do the people around you see in your behavior that you love them? What goal could you set this Advent to be more loving?
Kim Burkhardt blogs at A Parish Catechist and The Books of the Ages (and a “Content Creator/Individual” member of the Association of Catholic Publishers). If you are a new visitor, it would be great to have you follow this blog (thank you!).
If you know someone who would like this blog post, please
share it with them (thank you!). You can also support this blog by clicking here when you are going to shop on Amazon (that lands A Parish Catechist a commission on Amazon sales).
