Quick answers about Advent

Since Advent is just around the corner I thought that a little clarity on the just what Advent is, or what it is meant to be, would be nice way to start things off. This is a time of expectation for the birth of the Messiah, and a time of personal preparation for this event. This is also a time of self-exploration, a time to check our Spirituality and get back in touch with those things that should be most important in our lives.

            Below are answers to some of the most common questions regarding Advent.

Advent (Lat., adventus, “coming”),¹

“This season of joyful expectation has a twofold character: it prepares for the commemoration of the Incarnation celebrated during the Christmas season, and it looks forward to Christ’s Second Coming at the end of time”.¹⁾ “The first two Sundays highlight Christ’s Second Coming; the last two, incarnational themes, with the forth Sunday adverting to Mary”.¹⁾ 

           

“The first candle on the Advent wreath has been called the Prophecy candle; the liturgical color for this Sunday is purple/violet.

The Second candle on the Advent wreath has been called the Bethlehem candle; the liturgical color for this Sunday is purple/violet.

The third candle on the Advent wreath has been called the Shepherd’s candle; the liturgical color for this Sunday is Rose, this Sunday is called Gaudete (Rejoice) Sunday

The forth candle on the Advent wreath has been called the Angel’s candle; the liturgical color for this Sunday is purple/violet.

The fifth Candle is in the middle of the Advent wreath is a large white candle; this candle is called the Christ Candle. The Christ candle is lit during the Vigil Mass or during the Nativity of the Lord”.³

“Beginning the Church's liturgical year, Advent is the season leading up to the celebration of Christmas. The Advent season is a time of preparation that directs our hearts and minds to Christ’s second coming at the end of time and also to the anniversary of the Lord’s birth on Christmas. Advent devotions remind us of the meaning of the season. Special Advent devotions include the lighting of the Advent wreath; the Advent calendar which helps remind us of the season with daily thoughts and activities; Advent prayers that prepare us spiritually for the birth of Jesus Christ.-

Traditionally, Advent wreaths are constructed of a circle of evergreen branches into which four candles are inserted, representing the four weeks of Advent.  Ideally, three candles are purple and one is rose, but white candles can also be used. 

The purple candles in particular symbolize the prayer, penance, and preparatory sacrifices and goods works undertaken at this time. The rose candle is lit on the third Sunday, Gaudete Sunday, when the priest also wears rose vestments at Mass; Gaudete Sunday is the Sunday of rejoicing, because the faithful have arrived at the midpoint of Advent, when their preparation is now half over and they are close to Christmas.

The progressive lighting of the candles symbolizes the expectation and hope surrounding our Lord’s first coming into the world and the anticipation of his second coming to judge the living and the dead”.²

            Now is the time to ask yourself, what does Advent mean to me? Advent, like all the liturgical seasons, is what you make of it. Try and set aside a little additional time to read the daily scriptures. Do your best to relate these reading, stories, or teachings to your life.

           

May your Advent experience be rich with new life.

1.      The Encyclopedia of Catholicism, by Richard P. McBrien

2.      The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, USCCB

3.      A Dictionary of Church Terms and Symbols, by Loice Gouker (out of print)

By David E.Gonzales

Porno, no, no.

             Porn, in print or film, is a stimulant and as any stimulant it can become a substance for addiction. In the case of child porn, which I consider the most grievous and disdainful act of sexual expression, the injury to children must not be tolerated to any extent. In the Bible Jesus states that, “Whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in me to sin, it would be better for him to have a great millstone hung around his neck and to be drowned in the depths of the sea”. (Mat, 18; 6) This teaching is as clear as it gets. To me, child porn is a clear example of distancing ourselves from our God, Spirit, or Higher Power. This is also a clear example of not living a spiritual life. This type of sexual behavior is not in the context of love that our God has taught us. This is not the love of charity, of taking care of one another; it is a destructive action, one taken out of the context of reality.

As does any stimulant, it excites the senses and makes us feel good. At least for a short time, that is as long as the drug or stimulant is in force for the mind and/or body react accordingly. One of the problems with these kinds of artificial stimulants is that they distort reality. It is this distortion of reality that can create a world that has been normalized to the abuser. The abuse becomes the standard by which they live their lives. Whether the addiction is drugs, alcohol, or sex, the addicted will be able to justify their actions based on the strength of their perceived need. In this case the addiction is sex, each person, men and women alike, will find a way to satisfy their particular exaggerated perception of their sexual desire.

            There is most notably the abuse to the unwilling participant in printed or video porn. The exploited children, women and men are the victims of abuse. By engaging in the porn industry, print, film, computer sites, or graphic-illustrations, you are contributing to the continue abuse of this group. No industry can exist without profitability, and right now the porn industry is as profitable as any that exists.

            If you are engaged in this type of visual or physical behavior, or know someone who is, please check out, http://saa-recovery.org

Scripture citing is from the NABRE

by David E.Gonzales

To be Apathetic…

It is said that the opposite of love is hate. I would disagree with this statement; the opposite of love is not hate, but is instead apathy. To simply not care about those who are in greater need than we are, must be the greatest of sins.

I believe that apathy is the greatest threat to humanity that exists today. For the more that the people are willing to accept or allow government agency’s to do the work of charity, or politicians to repress us in our speech, faith, or recreation, etc. the increasingly we will become a slave of our own making. We must be like children to enter the kingdom of God, (Mat. 18; 3) this does not mean to be innocent or immature, but instead to be totally dependent on others for their/our very survival. This means that we as adults are to be totally dependent on the God, Spirit, or the Higher Power of our faith. To extend this thought further, this would mean that it is the responsibility of the better off to make sure the poor are clothed and the hungry are fed. (Mat. 35-36a) Please note that I stated the “better off” and not the “rich”, for even the poor can, and do, help the poor. If the world becomes apathetic then the suffering of humanity will continue to grow. And I believe that this suffering will continue to grow to unprecedented levels.      

The call of all the major faiths is a call for intervention into the world of suffering. There is a time for prayer, meditation and contemplation, but when this has run its course then becomes a time for action. This is the time for a positive physical action to help those in need. Regardless if this occurs during the regular course of the day or in an emergency situation. Acts of charity are acts of love; however love without works of charity/love is but an empty thought. Without the action of charity, love has no meaning.

I can think of no greater disconnect from God, Spirit or Higher Power than to have no concern for the needy, the mourning, the outcasts of society, for those who have no one who cares for them, psychologically, physically, and/or emotionally. Yes, apathy is indeed the sin of sins, the quickest departure from our faith of God, Spirit, or Higher Power. Apathy may be the greatest gift that Lucifer, evil, has ever bestowed upon humanity throughout all of history.

May you be empowered to help, someone, somewhere, somehow.

           

Scripture is from the NABRE

by David E.Gonzales

No! God didn’t do it.

I know, I know. I too have heard the yelps of those who believe that this latest storm was delivered by God, Spirit, or Higher Power because of the sins committed by the people who live there; whether it’s gambling, prostitutions drug use etc. I know that these religious people take note of the story of Sodom and Gomorrah and point out that God smote them from the Earth because of their unrighteousness, their immorality. I find this thinking absolutely absurd.

            
          First, if you read the story carefully you will notice that Lot was willing to send out his daughters to satisfy the sexual desires of the crowd. I cannot see any moral difference between the crowds desires to rape and the father sending out his daughters to prostitute for peace. Furthermore, God made sure that not one righteous person was left in the city(s) when the time of destruction came to pass. God, Spirit or Higher Power does not allow the innocent to suffer for the ills of the guilty. I think that a good argument could be made that God does not directly punish the sinner here on Earth. While I do believe in a kind of karma, a "what goes around, comes around" or “you reap what you sow”, (Gal, 6; 7) philosophy; I believe that there is only one “judgment” and that will happen in the fullest of time.

            
          Sodom and Gomorrah is not a story of sexual misbehavior; it is a story of inhospitality. To not be hospitable in these early days of Judaism was one of their greatest sins. This is what Jesus was so upset about during his ministry, defiling the temple, not taking care of the orphans and widows, ignoring the poor; these are the sins that were being exposed in the story of Sodom and Gomorrah and by Jesus during his ministry.

          
          I do not believe in a God that is harmful to the good. So then why are there disasters all across our earth? Did not God create all things? Yes, God did create all things, but God does not make of himself the controller of all things. God does not micro manage! We have things of the world and things of the Spirit; God created the spirit but does not control how we, his children, interpret, accept or refuse that Spirit. God created the things of the world, but did build the world as we know it. God  The environment that we live in is just part of our lives. We accept moderate weather as fact, but for some reason we need to explain extreme weather as something divine. That something disastrous is created for our good, a lesson to be taught. This brings into question the subject of miracles; I am not going to address that subject here.

gave us the power of thought, the ability to use the things of the world, and the intelligence to create. God gave us nature, however God does not use nature as a weapon.

          
          I seems to me that this type of scripture interpretation comes from a fundamentalist’s point of view. Some of the problems with this type of thinking are that it brings about a boasting of self righteousness. This self righteousness may sound something like; “Oh! Look at me; I must be in Gods’ favor for no harm came to me”. Another problem is the thinking that God paints humanity with a broad brush. That somehow it’s ok to punish the good alongside sinner. God knows us each by name, and our judgment will come in the fullness of time. Until then it is up to each individual to live their lives, hopefully for the good of humanity.

          
          If this wasn't brought about by God then why is it here? It’s not in the storm where you find God, Spirit or Higher Power. No, you will find God before, during and after the storm, people helping people prepare or escape from the ravages to come. It’s during the storm when people rescue people or bring calm to shattered nerves, this is where you find God. It’s after the storm when people work side by side to repair their homes, businesses and the broken lives of family, friends and strangers alike, this is where you find God.

          
          God does not create disaster, God freely offers Grace, to all who are willing to accept it, to give us the wisdom and strength to continue moving onward in peace and love. No one was punished in this latest storm, but many are and will be rewarded by their actions of bravery and kindness.

May peace of mind, strength of Grace and the power of the Spirit be with you during these times of strife and always.

Scripture references are from the NABRE

by David E.Gonzales