Advent calls Catholic Christians to Practice the Art of Anticipation

During Advent, Catholic Christians are called to spend time in expectant waiting and preparation for both the celebration of the Nativity of Jesus at Christmas and the return of Jesus at the Second Coming. In a word, to anticipate. Anticipation comes from the Latin anticipare and means to ‘guess or be aware of (what will happen) and take action in order to be prepared.’

In a world of instant gratification, it is hard to practice the art of anticipation, especially at this time of year. Christmas lights, holiday movies and seasonal foods start appearing before Advent even begins making it difficult to really anticipate Christmas and what it really celebrates at a deeper level.

What is missed when anticipation is bypassed? Research says skipping the feelings of anticipation can cause a person to miss out on health benefits. Anticipating something causes the brain to release hormones connected to the brain’s reward system. Conversely, instant gratification changes brain pathways making it easier to fall into the same patterns the next time and distracting one from more meaningful pursuits.

Anticipation requires a person to delay gratification and make plans to look forward to something. How can this be lived out in our lives? Instead of decorating for the holidays or listening to Christmas music in early December, Christians can benefit when they wait to enjoy those activities closer to the season of Christmas.  

Thankfully, the Church offers us the Season of Advent, a season of anticipation, with its valuable activities like advent calendars, advent wreaths, the daily prayers of the Church (Mass and the Liturgy of the Hours), the O Antiphons, the Jesse Tree, Advent music, and penance services---to help Catholics joyfully anticipate celebrating Jesus’ birth and grow closer to Him as we wait in joyful hope for His coming again.  

This Advent, you are invited to prepare for Jesus birth by following the Jesse Tree Advent project on Facebook and Instagram. Similar to a traditional Advent Calendar, the Jesse Tree Advent project incorporates daily scripture, bible characters and symbols to point the way to Bethlehem.

The Jesse Tree is based on Jesse, the father of King David, who is an important person in the genealogy of Jesus. Church art depicts the relationship with a branched tree growing from a reclining figure of Jesse. The branches feature other ancestors, with Mary and Jesus at the top of the tree. This Jesse Tree design was used in stained glass windows in medieval cathedrals in Europe, like the Cathedral of Chartres (1260). Other medieval religious art includes dramas depicting Bible stories like the fall of Adam and Eve. The ‘Tree of Life’ used during the play was decorated with apples—a possible forerunner of the Christmas tree. These concepts combined to create the custom of the Jesse Tree Advent project, used for years to help Christians prepare for Christmas.

Then, on December 17, the Church begins to intensify the preparation for Christmas with the use of the "O" Antiphons during the Liturgy of the Hours. Symbols for the Jesse Tree Advent project from December 17 to 23 are based on the "O" Antiphons.

The “O” Antiphons are verses that come before and after the Magnificator Mary’s canticle in the Liturgy of the Hours evening prayer or in the Alleluia verse before the gospel at Mass. Each day, the “O” Antiphons follow the pattern of proclaiming the Lord by a title that invokes one of the Messianic titles found in the Old Testament. What makes these wonderful verses so powerful is their heartfelt longing for the Messiah to come and rescue a people who are entrapped in the darkness of sin and death. They invite us to enter into the desire communicated each day. Taking the time to do so will naturally invite us to enter the longing with a watchful eye and to anticipate the Lord’s arrival with joy!

In addition, the Saint Joseph Retreat & Conference Center is offering three opportunities for retreat during Advent. The Advent Day of Reflection, Thursday, December 17 ($30), lets guests get away from the hustle and bustle the world tries to convince us is Christmas and spend time in hopeful anticipation of Jesus’ birth. Through stories of the Jesse Tree devotion and the O Antiphon prayers, guests will learn these devotions as ways to prepare for the celebration of the birth of the one whose coming has been long expected. The day will include two conferences as well as Advent music, time for prayer and reflection, Mass, and lunch.  

Then, we’re offering two dates in December to Get Away for a Day—Tuesday, December 15 and Tuesday, December 22 ($20 each). These unstructured retreats are anchored with five opportunities for activity—welcome, reconciliation, mass, lunch and daytime prayer. Guests may participate in as few or as many as they wish. While on campus, guests may enjoy the beautiful and peaceful grounds, visit the shrines, read in one of our cozy gathering spaces, make the Way of the Cross or spend time in prayer in the St. Joseph Chapel. 

Each of these retreats are limited in size to allow ample space to socially distance. Visitors must wear a mask while indoors except during lunch and have their temperature taken upon arrival.

Be sure to follow the Jesse Tree and O Antiphon daily Advent prayers Instagram and Facebook beginning Sunday, November 29, 2020. Register HERE for any of the three Advent retreats.