I could label this post, Advent in the Domestic Church.
Sometimes, Catholics forget, or may not know, some of the simpler truths of the liturgical year. That there is a liturgical year should be obvious to all who attend, at least, Sunday Mass.
However, the colors are not the only indications of themes in these seasons. I am discovering, since I have been here, a lack of knowledge as to the meaning and customs which attend the rhythm of the liturgical seasons.
It is not my intention in this small post to cover the entire year. When I was teaching home schooling, I always had the large, round poster of the liturgical year in the classroom. This symbol and teaching method revealed to my son, and others who joined us, the priority of that year over the calendar year. Priority-yes, as the liturgical year is the calendar of God, not men, through the authority and teaching of the Church.
We are in one of the purple seasons, with the rose interlude approaching next Sunday. And, purple means penance.
Do Catholic families follow a penitential Advent? In my little family, we did not eat sweets, desserts, or other goodies except on St. Nicholas Day. Our Swedish neighbors had goodies on St. Lucy's Day. These were the exceptions. We did not go to parties, and begged off those to which we were invited, assuring friends we would celebrate between Christmas and January 6th, inclusive, with them.
We had the Advent Calendar, not with chocolates, but with Scripture passages.
We did the Jesse Tree, reading the appropriate Scriptures daily, and finally, the O Antiphons, which are on this blog.
We also collected money for the poor in a little box, and did extra good deeds, which were acknowledged by the placing of a straw in the empty manger.
On Christmas Eve, we had a little play of knocking on the doors and slamming them, in imitation of the full inns, until Baby Jesus, the largish Italian Bambino, found a home in the manger, hopefully with enough straw for comfort. We made costumes out of our robes for this.
The joy of Christmas Day was the beginning of feasting. We began after Midnight Mass, as we were in the choir and came back home for champagne and panettone, going to bed and getting up again to sing at the High Mass. We put the tree up Christmas Eve.
We also made apostle fake candles, out of toilet rolls covered with paper, with cotton flames, on which were the names of the apostles, to put underneath the tree, reminding us that Christmas is the beginning of the Good News which went out to all the world, including us, the Gentiles. This reminded us that Christ is the Light of the world, but that we all have to carry this light out into the darkness.
Sometimes, we bought hay and put it underneath the tree to remind us of the humility of Christ. Our rabbit loved that, and slept happily there in the hay during the season.
The creche was set up and the kings put on the far side of the living room to make their long trip around to the manger by January 6th.
I hope families can rediscover the rhythm of the liturgical year.