United States Conference of Catholic Bishops - Advent and Christmas with the Church Fathers

Marco Pappalardo

Libreria Editrice Vaticana

United States Conference of Catholic Bishops

Washington, D.C.

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For my little niece

and for all of my friends little children.

Through them

I have come to learn wonder;

through them

I have come to see daily life

from a new perspective;

through them

I have come to truly understand

what it means to be grown up.

Holy Mother Church is conscious that she must celebrate the saving work of her divine Spouse by devoutly recalling it on certain days throughout the course of the year. Every week, on the day which she has called the Lords day, she keeps the memory of His resurrection. In the supreme solemnity of Easter she also makes an annual commemoration of the resurrection, along with the Lords blessed passion.Within the cycle of a year, moreover, she unfolds the whole mystery of Christ, not only from His incarnation and birth until His ascension, but also as reflected in the day of Pentecost, and the expectation of blessed, hoped-for return of the Lord.Recalling thus the mysteries of redemption, the Church opens to the faithful the riches of her Lords powers and merits, so that these are in some way made present at all times, and the faithful are enabled to lay hold of them and become filled with saving grace.

After the publication of my previous book, Lent and Easter with the Church Fathers , I would now like to humbly present the thoughts and meditations of some of the Church Fathers on the subjects of Advent and Christmas. Their writings constitute some of the most important documents in our history because of the richness of their content on multiple levels: spiritual, moral, dogmatic, and ascetic.

The Holy Father Benedict XVI began a series of Wednesday general audiences in March 2007 as a way of presenting the Fathers of the Church. The previous series was dedicated to the Apostles. This was a steady and profound catechesis in the full sense of the word, recounting the story of the Church through the lives of men who were important personalities during the first centuries of Christianity. Each time, attention was given to highlighting the originality, and at the same time the modern relevance, of each Church Fathersome of whom are unknown to most peopleso that he could instead become accessible to everyone.

The idea of this book, following the path set by the Holy Fathers teachings, is to draw out the Church Fathers from the libraries or patristic archives in order to offer them to everyone, including those who are neither specialists, nor scholars, nor aficionados. Like its predecessor, this small book is not a text for study. It is intended to be a tool, even a daily companion, for personal and group meditation.

Anyone wishing to study these extraordinary men in greater depth can find works of great value, dense and impressive collections of their writings, monumental volumes, and monographic texts that are increasingly easy to access.

Each passage in this book is supplied with an introduction by the editor, in order to provide a key to interpreting the selection and to bring the content to life for the modern reader.

Marco Pappalardo

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Second Vatican Council, Sacrosanctum Concilium ( Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy ), no. 102, in The Documents of Vatican II , ed. Walter M. Abbott (New York: Guild Press, 1966).

The Mass has ended; go in peace! How many times we have heard these words, and how often we instantly forget them as soon as we step foot outside the Church and meet with outstretched hands at the door, or once we have stopped at a red light. And yet the Mass just ended moments ago: we encountered Christ in the Eucharist! What does it mean to go in peace? What peace? Our heart should be restless after the celebration, ardently desiring consolation for those who suffer and striving to think of things to do for the poor, however great or small. The Mass does not end with the final blessing and recessional hymn; rather, this is the moment that it opens into our daily life.

T hus, dear brothers, may we who await the birth of the Lord cleanse ourselves of all the remnants of sin! Let us fill his treasuries with many gifts, so that upon the arrival of that holy day we may welcome the strangers, support the widows, and clothe the poor! Indeed, what would happen if, in the house of the servants under the same master, one were to proudly don silk garments while another was covered with rags; if one were stuffed with food while another suffered hunger and cold; if one were tormented by indigestion from yesterdays gormandizing while another could hardly stave off yesterdays hunger? Or what should the purpose of our prayers be? May we who are not generous toward our brothers ask to be liberated from the enemy. Let us imitate our Lord! Indeed, if he desires that the poor partake of heavenly grace with us, why should they not partake of earthly goods with us? May those who are our brothers in the sacraments lack no earthly sustenance, even if only so they may give testimony before God on our behalf: may we sustain them and may they give thanks to him. The more a poor man blesses the Lord, the more it will help the one who gives him cause to bless the Lord.

In a world filled with uncertainty and doubt, where the only thing certain seems to be relativism, Christians find a clear reference point for salvation in Christ. In a faith perspective, waiting is not a waste of time: it does not mean sitting around idly, but rather being patient, which is a real, undeniable, and dynamic activity. Waiting is rejoicing in what truly matters even in the midst of difficulty; it is built on the rock and on what never withers; it is keeping silence, for it is in silence that we await Love and hear his footsteps.

O awaited one of the peoples! Those who await you will not be disappointed. Our fathers awaited you; all the righteous men from the beginning of the world have hoped in you and have not been confounded. Indeed, when your mercy was received in the heart of your temple, the joyful choruses made heard their praises and sang, Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord! (Mk 11:9). I have tirelessly awaited the Lord, and he has turned his gaze toward me. Then, recognizing divine majesty in the lowliness of flesh, they said, Here is our God! We have awaited him; he will save us! He is the Lord; we have awaited him patiently, and we will exult and rejoice in his salvation! ...While others trouble themselves seeking their happiness down here, rushing to hoard the spoils, the world offers them without waiting for the fulfillment of the Lords design. The blessed man who has placed his hope in the Lord and has not set his sights on vanity and deceptive folly keeps far from their ways.... And in thinking to himself, he consoles himself with these words: My inheritance is the Lord, says my soul; that is why I will wait. The Lord is good to those who hope in him, to the soul that seeks him. It is good to wait in silence for Gods salvation.