Using Advent as a time of Preparation

(Modified from a column originally written for my Church bulletin)

The Advent season is like that of the of the Lenten season, both seasons can have a penitential feel to them. Advent is the time for us to reassess the state of our spiritual life with the knowledge that Christ will return. We are not only to examine our spiritual readiness for the coming of Christ, but we are to make the necessary changes based on that spiritual examination.

There are numerous ways to prepare spiritually for the coming of Christ. One way is a personal sacrifice, giving up something we enjoy. This self-denial can be a reminder of the sacrifice Jesus made for us.  A second way to prepare for the coming of Christ is to start or increase our own prayer life. Adding some of the beautiful traditions that have been passed down through generations is a good way to quickly increase our prayer life.

I would describe tradition as an action or a belief that is passed on from one generation to the next. It must be worthy of being continued from one generation to the next or it will stop and be forgotten. No one will continue a tradition if it does not have a deeper and desirable meaning. Each family probably has its own Advent and Christmas traditions already. It could be a certain day the Christmas tree is decorated, the use of an advent wreath or a Christmas calendar with Bible verses.  Usually family traditions have been tested by time so do not discard some of your family or Church traditions too quickly.

Whichever way you choose to prepare for Christmas make sure there is time for the spiritual side of your life.  You could be the one that starts a new tradition in your family. May this Advent season bring you many blessings as you prepare for the coming of Christ.

The Scrutinies of the Elect

Those who have never been baptized before are called members of “the elect.” As with all who are baptized, these elect will “die to their old self” and rise as children of God.  They will begin what is hoped a new way of living.  Those in our Rite of Christian Initiation for Adults are now in what we call the Purification and Enlightenment phase.  This phase includes three scrutinies.  A scrutiny can be described as an assessment of oneself.  This helps the Elect uncover and heal those things that are sinful and those things which make them susceptible to evil.  The scrutinies also bring out and strengthen all that is upright and good in the elect.

On the Third Sunday of Lent the elect in the RCIA will hear the prayers of the First Scrutiny.  Part of the prayer that is said for the elect is as follows:

…that they will reject the sins and weaknesses that weigh them down. Protect them from vain reliance on self and defend them from the power of evil.  Free them from the spirit of deceit, so that admitting the wrong they have done, they may attain purity of heart…

Though a beautiful prayer, it requires an honest assessment of oneself.  We can join the Elect during this Lenten Season by assessing our own life.  This is a good time to remember that the successes we have in our lives are not just of our own making, but are brought forth through the gifts and talents God has given us.  We must also protect ourselves from denial.  We must not deceive ourselves into thinking we have done no wrong.

On Easter Sunday we will renew our baptismal promises.  We will be asked if we renounce sin, renounce the lure of evil and renounce Satan, the author and prince of sin.  By letting go of that which spiritually weakens us and strengthening that which is good in us, we can make our answer of “I do” a loud proclamation of the life we live.