By Maxine Kaiser Special to the Intermountain Catholic During the Communion Rite of every Mass, just prior to the conclusion of the Lord’s Prayer, we’ve long been hearing the presider’s words "protect us from all anxiety as we wait in joyful hope for the coming of our Savior, Jesus Christ." Some of us, having grown quite fond of that prayer, might find it a little disappointing to learn that the wording is somewhat different in the revised Roman Missal. Beginning on Sunday the priest will pray that we be kept "safe from all distress, as we await the blessed hope and coming of our Savior Jesus Christ." The rationale I was able to find for this change cites its source in the Letter of St. Paul to Titus 2:13, and reminds us of the important truth that, regardless of whether or not we feel joyful, Christ has come. He is our hope, and we await the blessed hope of his return. This prayer, in both translations, captures the Advent message well. The season of Advent begins the new liturgical year. The prayers and rich Scriptural texts of the Advent season invite quiet pondering, a worthwhile activity for long winter evenings. This year, because Dec. 25 falls on a Sunday, we will have four full weeks of Advent, allowing abundant time for Advent activities in preparation for the Christmas feast. That is if we can hold off on beginning our Christmas celebrations until closer to Christmas Eve. After all, the Church’s Christmas begins on Christmas Eve and does not end until the Feast of the Baptism of Jesus on Jan. 9. The liturgy during the season of Advent has a double focus. The Church is preparing us for the celebration of Christmas, the anniversary of Christ’s birth, and at the same time is pointing ahead to his second coming at the end of time. But God also manifests His presence among us here and now in so many ways, through other people and through events, often when we least expect it. In the Gospel of the First Sunday of Advent we hear Jesus calling his disciples (and us) to "Be watchful! Be alert!" The challenge of being watchful and alert is that we open our eyes to the simple, everyday ways in which God is present to us here and now. Signs of God’s faithfulness are all around us, but we can easily miss them if we are not attuned to watching for them. At the same time we can be signs of hope and goodness to the people we encounter in our daily lives. For most of us, the Advent season can so easily be a time of frantic activity, too much busyness, lots of stress, and heavy involvement in consumerism. Especially during these challenging economic times, it would seem to be to our advantage to reevaluate the way we prepare for and celebrate Christmas. During this Advent season may we be "watchful and alert" as we "await the blessed hope and the coming of our Savior, Jesus Christ." Maxine Kaiser is a former director of liturgy for the Diocese of Salt Lake City.
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