On New Year's Day, the octave day of Christmas, the Church celebrates the Solemnity of the Holy Mother of God. The divine and virginal motherhood of the Blessed Virgin Mary is a singular salvific event: for Our Lady it was the foretaste and cause of her extraordinary glory; for us it is a source of grace and salvation because "through her we have received the Author of life.”

It is a beautiful Advent tradition that captures the expectant, excited, spiritual waiting that pervades Advent – the precursor of Christmas. It is a vibrant expression of unity and community. Many parishes in our diocese will fittingly mark Christmas preparation with an Advent Novena of Masses, popularly called “Simbang Gabi” (Filipino for “night mass”, indicating it being held when dark). It is one of the oldest and most popular among the Filipino traditions in the Philippines. Simbang Gabi is a nine-day novena to the expectant Blessed Mother. The novena begins on December 16, and culminates with the “Misa de Gallo” ("gallo", Spanish word for rooster, which crows at break of dawn) on Christmas Eve.

A simple way to mark the season, Advent wreaths are a time-honored tradition rich in symbolism. The circular shape reminds us that God is eternal; He has no beginning and no end. The wreath itself is often made of evergreens, symbolizing everlasting life. Each week, an additional candle is lit, accompanied by Scripture –based meditations and prayers. The progressive lighting of the candles in the Advent wreath models the expectation of Christ’s coming. The four candles (three violet, one rose) symbolize the four thousand years between the fall of Adam and Eve and Christ’s birth. The rose candle, representing joy, is lit on the third Sunday of Advent (called Gaudete Sunday) to mark the halfway point of the season.

In this first week of Advent, we reflect on the tension of the already-but-not-yet; of being sure of the hope that we have, but of having but a small taste of that which has been promised. The nation of Israel, God’s chosen people, had heard from God through the patriarchs and prophets since its very beginning. He had taught them how to live life in the very best way, life lived close to Him and to others. But the people of Israel had rejected God and did whatever was good in their own eyes. God sent prophets to warn Israel of what would happen if they continued to rebel against God. Prophets also foretold of a new covenant God would make with his people. They pointed people to a coming Messiah, an eternal king who would fulfill this covenant, save them, and rule forever. Despite the warnings of the prophets, the people of Israel stopped listing to God and God did not speak to humans again for 400 years. And it is against this backdrop that we begin our first week of Advent, wondering with the Israelites what God is going to do and how he is going to fulfill his promises. In a similar way, though Jesus has already brought about our salvation by his life, death and resurrection, we eagerly await with great hope the day when he will come again and fulfill all of his promises and put the world to rights.