Sunday marked the beginning of the Advent Season of the Church Year. It is a period of waiting. This consists of symbolically waiting with the past prophets, patriarchs, kings, and ordinary guys and gals for the first arrival of the waited Christ. We also eagerly await the second coming of our Lord in glory.
Since Advent lasts from now until Christmas, this leaves some of us in a quandary. What do we do when our society begins to celebrate Christmas during our Advent season? We are in a time of waiting and penitence when our culture is going full-bore materialistic. I usually recommend balance. I am not going to refuse to go to Christmas parties or look at lights, but I will observe Advent in the fullest way possible, and celebrate Christmas the most fully from December 24th until Winter Ordinary Time begins. Robb, a Lutheran pastor who runs the Lutherpunk blog, has a few helpful suggestions for keeping the balance in his post called Jumping the Gun.
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December 5, 2006 at 3:53 am
Here are some suggestions for Advent: Follow Byzantine/Orthodox tradition and avoid meat, dairy, and alcohol (!). I know some folks who refrain from receiving Holy Communion during the Advent period and take it again at the Christmas Liturgy, to break the Advent fast. Above all…keep hearts open to the Holy Spirit and look for ways to help the poor, the friendless, the lonely, the outcast. In them is where we find the “manger” of the King of Kings now.
December 5, 2006 at 5:03 pm
nicenehobbit - is there a good site online that gives the fasting guidelines in a way that non-Orthodox folks can understand them? I have seen a couple of sites, but they don’t seem to explain their terms (ie cheesefare vs meatfare etc). I would be interested in reading something like that.
December 6, 2006 at 12:32 am
Lutherpunk,
Hi. There are actually several sites (u can just type in “Rules for fasting in Orthodox Church” in search). However, since we are interested in spiritual growth AND in adapting things for non Byzantine/Orthodox, here are general guidelines:
No meat, fish, wine, oil from Nov. 15th to Dec. 14th. On Saturday and Sunday, however, and major Saints’ days, things are relaxed and fish is permitted.
Some folks can get really legalistic about all this, but as the Fathers (and my own priest) point out, fasting is meant as a TOOL, not and END. We do what we can for our soul’s sake and the love we have for Christ. The best fast is to “loose the bonds of wickedness” in our lives and “bring the humble poor into our houses”.