One thing that serious Christians love doing at this time of year is reminding people that it's not Christmas yet.

The secular world works on the principle that Christmas - a time of drinking, parties, gifts and a vague feeling of good will - ends at the end of December 25th and begins sometime around now. And of course, if you work in a shop it has probably been Christmas for you (at least at work) for a good few weeks already.

Of course, for us things are different. Advent prepares us for the season of Christmas, which starts on December 25th and lasts for twelve days (or whatever).

In reality though, we know all that. It's not worth spilling ink or tapping keys over. But the tension between the secular and Christian views of this time creates a dilemma for youth workers which we need to think carefully about.

In one project I've been involved with, we took the decision to celebrate Advent until the last week before Christmas and then to actively celebrate Christmas.

Liturgical purists raised hell! 'This is ADVENT,' they said, 'not Christmas! We're giving in to the secular mentality if we celebrate it before.'

And they were basically correct. But nevertheless, I defended the decision.

If we were dealing with teens from practicing Catholic families, then keeping Advent as Advent would have been right and proper. We would have prepared them for Christmas and sent them home to celebrate the joys of that season with their families and to enter into the liturgical celebrations in their parish communities.

Predictably though, that wasn't the case. We were engaged in missionary and catechetical work with those who were essentially unevangelised. They weren't going to celebrate Christmas when they got back to their families, except in the most secular of senses: Gifts, James Bond film, food and so on. 

If we'd done things the proper way, we would have given them a fantastic preparation for... turkey. Basically.

And so I argued that there was a pastoral need to jiggle the seasons around slightly. It meant messing with the established order of things, but it also meant that our teens could celebrate the incarnation and have a chance to think about what it meant at a time when it would go in (i.e. not in January when they got back!)

All thoughts welcome...

[image hotlinked from flickr user "are you my rik?"]

Pope to Youth: Look at Passing of Time With Eyes of Faith

VATICAN CITY, NOV. 23, 2011 (Zenit.org).- Benedict XVI noted today the end of the liturgical year, and invited youth to consider the passage of time with faith.

In his customary greetings to youth, the sick, and newlyweds at the close of the general audience, the Pope spoke of the liturgical season.

"Dear young people," he invited, "harmonize your personal journey with the Church's, which flows from the liturgy, and prepare yourselves to live the time of Advent as a time of interior waiting on the Messiah, Our Savior."

The Holy Father added: "Dear sick, ask God for the gift of hope, and offer even your sufferings for this; and you, dear newlyweds, always trust in Divine Providence, which guides and accompanies Christian families."

[Story from Zenit/ EWTN. Image hotlinked from Vatican.va]

Fascinating article from the (Canadian) Catholic Register:

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By Christine Way Skinner

NEWMARKET, Ont. - As the catechist in an active suburban parish, I have been responsible for helping parishioners and teachers in our parish schools prepare for the changes that English-speaking Catholics will experience now that Advent is here.

When I first learned that we would be using a new translation of the Mass a few years ago, I knew that it would be very important to prepare people for the change. In my 20+ years of experience in pastoral ministry, I have learned that change in general is difficult for people. Change in peoples' traditions and rituals, however, can be exceedingly difficult.

In many ways, the changes that have been made to the words we speak at Mass are minor compared to other changes that we as a Church have been through. More is staying the same than is changing. Nevertheless, the changes are...