Advent and the Prayer Prayed

Oh so many things are happening, or happenings are thinging. With a recently heard priestly admonition in mind, that the prayer prayed is infinitely more valuable than the prayer one intends to pray, I turn to the task of blogging hoping to establish some reliability here, allowing the words to flow as words are inclined to do when one allows that time, God willing, instead of waiting for some extraordinary signal to begin again - for what is extraordinary if not waking up on the first Sunday of Advent? Or any other day, for that matter....

The first Sunday of Advent - and the first day of Hanukkah. I have almost completely driven the word "coincidence" from my vocabulary, so I will say I am glad for the dual-occurrence and would like to see more of it. The Maccabees clean the temple and light the Menorah in praise of God; Christians arrange their houses and churches to accommodate trees and decorations, appropriately festooned with lights, in anticipation of God incarnate and eternal.It is a truly joyous time of year.

Advent marks the beginning of the liturgical year. In practical terms, this means a new cycle of readings at Mass. It also means moving over to volume 1 of the Divine Office if you use the same Catholic Book Publishing version that I use, being the standard, correct Liturgy of the Hours. There are other correct versions - many others, I deduce - but this is not the place to go into all that nor will it ever be (cf. "the prayer prayed, etc.....). A comment by Father Gabriel at the Vigil Mass last night, where I read, struck me - to the effect that the penitential character of Advent is in deepening one's prayer life (whereas Lent is defined by the Lord's Passion). I was happy to be given that insight. I have heard of the penitential character of Advent, but it was described in terms more in keeping with Lent - fasting and such. Penance in prayer seems more in keeping with the theme and intent of Advent, as we anticipate the coming of the Lord.

It makes even better sense to me, this notion of Advent, as last year around this time - on the third Sunday of Lent - I began to attend Holy Rosary, a Dominican priory here in Portland, Oregon. I soon began praying the Divine Office, tentatively at first, learning my way around, and attending morning Mass at Holy Rosary where, on weekdays, the Office is prayed afterward. My prayer life has deepened and so too has my life in the Church (the universal Church) even though I may not spend as much time at Holy Rosary or be involved in as many activities as I was at Saint Stephen. Saint Stephen was in the third year of transitioning when I left it - transitioning from a fairly low key, pleasant, and rather sweet parish to a much more traditional one, so the emphasis and presiding tone was on becoming more Catholic, or defining one's Catholicity against the rubric of contemporary life. The tone and intent at Holy Rosary is more in the nature of going about one's business as a devout Catholic, which I found compelling and necessary for myself and my family.

The point here is in establishing how time and place determine one's decisions. The prayer prayed is infinitely more valuable than the prayer one intends to pray: living one's faith is infinitely more valuable than merely intending or planning to do so at some future time, or in even considering that there is any real impediment to a full relationship with God now, right now, regardless of where you go to church, what the liturgy looks and feels like, and whether you pray in Latin, English, Mandarin, or Greek. The Lord is coming: if you know this, you must act and live accordingly. So light your candles, trim your trees, wrap your presents, and spread good cheer. The kingdom of heaven is at hand.