Interested in a more meditative season of Advent? Take a minute to read the article below, written by Father Jegar, regarding the importance of maintaining tradition during Advent. It is an important season in the liturgical calendar than can be easily rushed through after Thanksgiving due to the (understandable) excitement for Christmas.

“In the late 1960’s early 70’s, a professor at Stanford did a study in which he measured the delay gratification response of a number of children. The kids were separately placed in a room and given a marshmallow. They were told that if they didn’t eat it for fifteen minutes, they would be given another marshmallow. The director of the experiment then left the room, and cameras watched as the children suffered the wait. Less than one-third of the 600 kids in the study waited long enough to receive the second marshmallow.

We live in a very impatient culture. We want what we want, and we want it now. Fast food, Amazon next-day delivery, instant messenger, etc. have all contributed to an anxious, fast-pace culture of instant gratification. Advent is the season of waiting. The Church, in her ancient wisdom, calls the Faithful to slow down, settle down, and sit in the position of waiting. We are called to become more attentive to our interior lives, to enter more deeply into silence and prayer, fasting, and penance, and thereby get in touch with the longing of our hearts for Jesus. Our willingness to wait clears out the clutter in our lives and intensifies our ache for our savior.

Unfortunately, many of us skip this season of Advent and begin celebrating Christmas long before the Christmas Season has even begun. We set up the Christmas Tree with all its decorations, begin to listen to Christmas music, and busy ourselves with countless Christmas festivities. And the day after Christmas, we throw out the tree, pack away the decorations, and frantically move on to the next thing. This Advent season, I encourage you to wait. Wait on decorating the house, wait on listening to Christmas music, wait on celebrating Christmas before it has even begun. I encourage you to enter into the season of Advent as it is intended to be celebrated— a season of silent, hopeful, anticipation. Before Macy’s and the big box franchises took over the calendar and ditched Advent, this Season was a slow, contemplative time for the Faithful. May it be that way once again.” Father Jegar Fickel

Download this Advent calendar to help guide you and your family through a fruitful season of Advent as we prepare for the coming of Christ! 🙏🏻