Waiting and arriving
Some people wait patiently; others wait with various measures of anxiety. We wait for people to arrive, for events to unfold, for the phone to ring, for the weekend, for all manner of things in life. We all wait; not only is it part of life itself, waiting is part of whatever we wait for. Waiting is anticipating the event itself, entering into what has yet to happen with certain levels of wonder and curiosity, with a sense that it’s worth waiting for. The event is already part of our consciousness before it is realized in time and place.
The liturgical season of Advent is a time of waiting, a spiritual waiting in the time it takes to unfold and in the heart that accepts its wonder. Like all waiting it is an active experience; it is more than putting in time. It is consciously entering into the images and stories of Advent, into its tradition and its profound message for today. It is a time of transition—a new liturgical year arrives. And it is place for habitus—a time to pause and contemplate the preparations needed to enter into the profound mystery that we will celebrate in the feast of Christmas. Even as we wait through Advent we know the end of the story; we’ve walked this journey before, yet each time we renew the images, retell the stories, rejoin the biblical companions, and refresh both our memories and our embrace of the astonishing gift of God who takes up a dwelling, a habitus in our world and our lives.
There is something wonderful about all the expectation that consumes our thoughts and energy during Advent, but that can easily be lost if we rush through the season to the “end moment” without discovering the deep spiritual sense of what and who we are waiting for. Advent comes from the Latin adventus, which means “the arrival.” The word referred to the arrival of the emperor or the king when they made an official visit to a town or area of their empire, or returned home from a victorious battle and were greeted by the citizens with feasting and exaltation. We will get to the feast of Christmas, but will we be ready for what and who awaits us there?
The environment as text
The Church’s liturgy is comprised of many texts: the spoken words of prayer and Scripture; the sung texts of psalms, acclamations, and hymns; the words of homilies and intercessions. The liturgical environment, with its colors and symbols, is also one of these texts. All serve and enrich the worship of the whole assembly whenever the Church gathers.
During the season of Advent the liturgical environment need not be elaborate, but it needs to be arranged carefully, keeping in mind the underlying focus of the season. The traditional color is violet or purple (GIRM 346d); the penitential nature of Advent is more subdued than Lent, and is nuanced with the joyful expectation of the feast of Christmas—echoed so vividly in the joy of Mary who rushes off to tell her cousin Elizabeth that she is with child.
The Advent wreath
The Advent wreath, though not a liturgical symbol, adds to the liturgical setting and helps to mark the journey through the season to approaching fullness of the birth of the Light of the world.
A beautiful wreath of evergreen branches—real ones are best—holding four candles (usually three violet and one rose colored, though four violet colored ones are acceptable), accented with additional branches or sprigs of white birch, eucalyptus, incense cedar, dried hydrangea blossoms, and winter berries, gives it a festive touch and makes it an attractive work of art. It should be in scale for the space and not overpower the principle liturgical appointments. The decorative items of the wreath can be refreshed and replaced at the end of Advent with ribbons and other items that turn it into a Christmas wreath.
The liturgical environment should help to connect the two segments of the season (Advent/Christmas) and even its location can help to do this. If at all possible, relocate the Advent wreath next to the Nativity scene (the crèche), since the lighting of the four candles moves us ever closer to the long-awaited and glorious light that is Christ the Lord.
Another way to prepare the liturgical space for Advent is the use of fabric. Fabric swags with colors that complement the violet of Advent can be used over exterior and interior doorways—they announce the season as people enter and remind them of it as they leave. Not all the decorative items need be in the sanctuary; in fact, it’s best if elaborate arrangements for any season do not overtake the ritual space and obscure the principle liturgical furnishings.
The Christmas environment
This last principle is especially important with the Christmas environment. There is a great temptation to place extravagant displays of trees and flowers in the sanctuary—a temptation that in many churches wins! Christmas displays that turn the sanctuary into a small forest or a venue resembling a shopping mall attraction are inappropriate. The altar, ambo, chair, tabernacle (if it is located in the sanctuary), and cross are never mere backdrops or incidental items in the liturgical environment. The seasonal decorations are to serve and enhance the liturgical space, not overpower it. Most churches have many places, like corners, gathering areas, niches, and entryways, that can serve as a location for seasonal decorative items and can help the entire space be the text of the respective season.
The crèche
The crèche is not a liturgical element or appointment; it is a devotional setting, albeit a time-honored one in both our churches and our homes. It should not be placed in the sanctuary, and certainly not under or in front of the altar or the ambo. It can be located in a place of honor, but away from the sanctuary; perhaps in the gathering area, in an alcove or shrine area where it is accessible, especially for children who want to approach it. As noted above, a refreshed Advent wreath can be placed nearby or suspended over the place of the nativity scene.
On the feast of the Epiphany it is customary to add the figures of the Magi to the crèche. The addition of items that represent the gifts of the Magi, or even asking children to place a small gift there, can also evoke interest in this devotion.
The liturgical color for Christmas is white. Again, the unity of the Advent-Christmas season can be emphasized by placing Christmas fabric hangings in the same places as those for Advent. Even better, design these pieces so they serve both phases of this season: for Christmas add borders, overlays, cords, ribbons, etc., to the base fabric piece. Careful planning and selection of colors and fabric swaths can make this both an economical approach and an appropriate element in the liturgical environment.
Blessings
The Book of Blessings has a blessing for the Advent wreath, a Christmas tree, and a crèche. These could be used at the Sunday liturgy, preferably before or afterward, and not as a substitute for any part of the Mass.
In our parish, large baskets filled with small packets of straw are blessed after Mass on the Fourth Sunday of Advent. Then the children are invited to gather around the manger (still without any figures) and take a packet of straw home with them for their own Nativity scene.
The Advent/Christmas season soon gives way to the winter segment of Ordinary Time. Remember that the liturgical environment is part of the whole liturgical text; just as the music, the Scripture readings, and the proper prayers are put away until next year, so too the Advent/ Christmas environment needs to be removed. The liturgical act and space speak of the unity and unfolding of the liturgical year and help us engage in our own spiritual journey. When we hear the call of the Lord to the disciples, after the feast of his baptism, we are ready to move on to another time and place.
Rev. Philip Horrigan Father J. Philip Horrigan is a priest of the Archdiocese of Kingston, Ontario, Canada. He lives and works in Chicago as a freelance liturgical design consultant and an adjunct instructor at Catholic Theological Union. He maintains a number of consulting projects in Canada and the US and is a frequent presenter at conferences and workshops on liturgical design, the building and renovation of churches, and the relationship between liturgical ritual and liturgical space.
Originally published in Today’s Liturgy © 2011 OCP. All rights reserved.