Question Corner: Do Catholics give things up for Advent?

Q: My dad gives up chocolate every year for both Lent and Advent. I always tell him that this is weird and that we’re not supposed to give things up for Advent, only Lent. Which one of us is right? (Florida)

A: Strictly speaking, Catholics aren’t required to “give anything up” for Advent. And even while the practice of taking on an additional, personal Lenten penance is a well-established and praiseworthy custom, Catholics technically aren’t required to do anything extra for Lent beyond the usual fasting and abstinence from meat (see Canon 1251 of the Code of Canon Law).

However, your dad also isn’t being “weird” for deciding to take on an additional penance for Advent. Although it’s not as common as a personal Lenten penance, it is still very much in keeping with the nature of the Advent season.

Of course, Advent and Lent are different liturgical seasons with their own distinct meanings. Yet they actually do parallel each other in many ways. Both seasons are seasons of preparation: in Lent, we prepare for our annual remembrance of Christ’s passion, death and resurrection; and during Advent we prepare ourselves for the celebration of His first coming to earth as man at Christmas. Advent also calls to mind the big-picture need for preparation for Christ’s second coming in glory at the end of time — as well as the constant need for readiness to receive him daily into our hearts, minds and souls.

In a similar vein, both seasons are also seasons of repentance. During Lent we recall our sins so as to be truly sorry for them in memory and gratitude for what Christ suffered to redeem us. And in Advent, we renew our resolve to turn away from sin as a way to prepare for the coming of the Lord.

This Advent theme of repentance is especially present in the Gospel reading for the second Sunday of Advent, wherein we hear how “John the Baptist appeared, preaching in the desert of Judea and saying, ‘Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand'” (Mt 3:1-2).

The penitential nature of Advent is reflected in other aspects of our liturgy. For example, as in Lent, the liturgical color for Advent is purple, which signifies sorrow for sin and repentance. Although the Third Sunday of Advent has the specific theme of joy at the closeness of Christ’s coming — it is often called “Gaudete Sunday,” from the Latin word for “rejoice” — the liturgical color is rose, which communicates a more restrained and subdued joy than the white used for the full rejoicing proper to the Christmas and Easter seasons.

Likewise, during Advent, church decorations are to be pared down, as per the “General Instruction of the Roman Missal”: “During Advent the floral decoration of the altar should be marked by a moderation suited to the character of this time of year, without expressing in anticipation the full joy of the Nativity of the Lord” (GIRM, No. 305). And at Advent Sunday Masses, the joyful “Gloria” prayer is omitted (GIRM, No. 53).

There is a venerable Latin saying that I think applies here: “lex orandi, lex credendi,” which roughly translates to “we pray as we believe.” This means that our liturgy represents the truths of our faith, which we are to strive to interiorize ever more deeply.

As the Catechism of the Catholic Church tells us specifically with respect to Advent: “When the Church celebrates the liturgy of Advent each year, she makes present this ancient expectancy of the Messiah, for by sharing in the long preparation for the Savior’s first coming, the faithful renew their ardent desire for his second coming” (CCC, No. 524).

So on a practical spiritual level, taking on some additional penance for Advent — whether this be making a sacrifice, taking more time for prayer or spiritual reading or committing to additional works of charity — can be an excellent way to enter more deeply into the spirit of the season.

Jenna Marie Cooper, who holds a licentiate in canon law, is a consecrated virgin and a canonist whose column appears weekly at OSV News. Send your questions to CatholicQA@osv.com.

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