We are in the midst of the seasons of celebrations.
Thanksgiving, Christmas, and the New Years celebrations and their accompanying
symbols are all around us. Generally, people like to celebrate. In fact some of
us live to celebrate! Celebrations are good things because in them family and
friends, young and old, gather from far and near to ritualize the memories and
the motions that give them definition and identity.
If we are completely honest, however, we must also
admit that there is a downside to all of this celebration. We get jaded by the
onslaught of celebration activity. Some are totally exhausted by the time they
have to get back to work! And then there are those for whom the holiday/ holy
day season just isn't a happy time at all. Perhaps there has been a death in the
family, or maybe there is contention and strife. Maybe someone has lost a job or
had some other embarrassing situation to arise and just doesn't want to face the
endless barrage of questions and inquiries. So common are these negative
experiences, that we frequently hear talk of the "holiday blues."
Too often we ignore this aspect of the celebration
season. Those who recognize it don't want to spoil the party. After all aren't
we all supposed to be happy now? Well, if we can't really be happy, then maybe
we should just act happy. The truth is that these are the only alternatives. We
can learn much about the deeper meaning of celebration from our Holy Mother, the
Church.
We have become accustomed to hearing much of our
life in the Church described as a celebration. We celebrate our faith; we
celebrate our culture, which has been sanctified by our faith. At the very
center of our faith is the great and awesome celebration of the Eucharistic
Sacrifice, the Holy mass. What we learn from the celebrations of the Church is
that celebration cannot be reduced to emotional experiences and cultural
expressions. These have a place in our worship celebrations but they do not
constitute the heart of worship. At the heart of celebrations of faith is a real
encounter with the Most Holy Trinity, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. In
celebrations of faith, through word and sacrament, we unite with Jesus, Our Lord
and Savior, in offering worship to His and our Father through the power of the
Holy Spirit. At the heart of our celebrations of faith is the mystery of the
Cross, and in the Cross, at the foot of the Cross, there is room not only for
our joys and hopes, but also for our sorrows and fears.
True celebrations of faith encompass the whole of
human experience and remind us that we are a broken, sinful people in need of
redemption who have found our hope not in ourselves but in the unfathomable
mercy of God. This knowledge is a great blessing of our Catholic faith.
That is why the Church begins her year of
celebration not with fireworks and trumpet blasts, but with the small flickering
light of a candle. The holy season of advent sets the tone for authentic
Christian celebration. The candles and the wreath remind us that the prayerful
preparation that we need to welcome once again, as Mary first welcomed, the King
of Kings, the Prince of Peace, the Light of the World. The color violet, or
purple is a reminder to us of the need for interior examination, contemplative
prayers, and self-confrontation in the Spirit. The Gloria is omitted as we
consciously "quiet-down" our celebration in anticipation of the Savior's birth.
The liturgical readings begin by waking us up from our spiritual slumber with
the same prophetic call that was given to Israel of the old. The Gospels
reiterate this need for vigilance in preparation for the ultimate days and the
final coming of the Lord Jesus. John the Baptist once again heralds the
Messiah's coming with his challenge to each one of us to "repent and believe in
the Good News!" Finally we are let go to contemplate the humble arrival of our
Savior in Bethlehem's cave. Now that is a true celebration. It doesn't need
"happy" feelings. It doesn't need a choir. It doesn't need a standing ovation,
nor does it need a pageant or a parade. It only needs to be accepted in humble
faith, so that its power might be unleashed in the hearts of those who repent,
receive and respond!
