As the first Sunday of Advent arrives, Catholics prepare to enter a season defined by longing, conversion, and quiet joy. Yet the weeks before Christmas often pass quickly, leaving many surprised by how suddenly the Nativity arrives. To help the faithful enter into the season more intentionally, the Church offers tangible practices and signs that enrich spiritual focus and nurture a heart ready for Christ.
According to Catholic News Agency, the Church provides “songs, signs, and symbols to enter into the season of Advent more fruitfully.” These traditional anchors of the liturgical year offer both beauty and spiritual clarity during the weeks leading to Christmas.
Advent Hymns: Cultivating Hope Through Sacred Music
The Church’s hymnody for Advent is designed to lift the soul toward expectation and holy desire. Catholic News Agency notes that classic hymns express what Pope Francis once described as a “horizon of hope.” Among them, the beloved “O Come, O Come Emmanuel” remains a central expression of the Church’s longing for the Messiah, carrying both sorrow for human sin and confidence in God’s promise.
Other hymns deepen this posture of waiting, such as “O Come Divine Messiah” and “People Look East,” which give voice to the eager hope of Christ’s coming. Even lesser-known pieces contribute to this spiritual movement. The Spanish carol “Alepun,” for instance, evokes the journey to Bethlehem with rhythms that resemble “donkey hooves clattering across the plains of Israel to Bethlehem,” according to the source. Its lyrics invite the faithful to wait alongside a “pregnant Blessed Virgin Mary,” entering more personally into the mystery of expectation.
Church Décor: A Visual School of Penance and Joy
The physical environment of parish churches also becomes a teacher during Advent. The season is penitential, though touched with joyful expectation, which is why the liturgical colors mirror both themes. As Catholic News Agency explains, purple and pink connect Advent to “penance and the Lord’s passion” while also recalling the joy of approaching redemption. The purple of Advent carries “a blue hue,” highlighting the Marian character of the season.
The simplicity of church décor reinforces this spiritual discipline. In many parishes, flowers disappear, instrumental music becomes restrained, and the Gloria falls silent. The CNA report emphasizes that this absence is intentional: “the lack of flowers on the altar, the restrained use of instruments, and the absence of the resounding and angelic Gloria all lead to a deliberate emptiness.” This emptiness is gradually filled as the Church moves toward Christmas. According to the source, the first lifting of this austerity appears on the solemnity of the Immaculate Conception, and more visibly on Gaudete Sunday, when flowers return as the first sign of approaching festivity.
Saints and Solemnities: Guiding the Season’s Spiritual Focus
The rhythm of Advent also unfolds through its saints and holy days, which point the faithful toward the unfolding mystery of the Incarnation. Catholic News Agency notes that, following the solemnity of Christ the King, Advent begins with attention to Christ’s coming in glory before turning to “the humble beginnings of the mystery of the Incarnation.”
Only a small number of saint days fall during these weeks, but each reinforces the season’s meaning. St. Nicholas—whose generosity shaped centuries of Christmas tradition—is among the most familiar. St. Lucy, remembered for lighting her way to serve prisoners in the catacombs, offers another example of Advent charity and anticipation.
Mary, however, stands at the heart of the season. The solemnity of the Immaculate Conception on Dec. 8 marks both a holy day of obligation and a theological starting point for the liturgical year. The feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe on Dec. 12 further highlights, as CNA reports, “what God has wrought in a soul full of grace,” revealing in Mary a “foreshadowing of the entire mystery of salvation in one soul.”
Entering the Season with Intentional Expectation
While Advent contains many other beautiful signs and traditions, these key practices—hymns, décor, and the rhythm of saints and solemnities—offer practical ways to enter the season with renewed focus. According to Catholic News Agency, these reminders can “assist you as you enter the season of expectation, building anticipation for the celebration of Christmas so it doesn’t catch you by surprise.”
As the Church begins a new liturgical year, these simple but profound invitations help Catholics slow down, look forward with hope, and make room for the coming of Christ.
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