DEC. 1 this year began the anticipation of waiting for the arrival of our Savior Jesus Christ. The next week of Advent offers us peace as we await the birth of our Savior. The third week brings us joy amid Lent’s fasting and penance. The fourth and last week brings us to remember “the Angel’s Candle,” the love and adoration of the infant Jesus on the glorious day of His birth.
What is Advent? As Christians, Advent is a special time to prepare to celebrate the birth of Jesus. We Christians know that Jesus will return. We prepare for that glorious day. During Advent, many churches offer special Advent devotionals for reading and reflection each day. Advent is a season many Christian churches observe in preparing to celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ (Christmas). As our source says, the word “Advent” itself comes from the Latin word “adventus,” which means “coming” or “arrival.”
Advent typically begins on the fourth Sunday before Christmas, known as Advent Sunday, and lasts until Christmas Eve. [When Does Advent Start in 2024? Sundays of Advent Schedule (christianity.com)] The first week of Advent would have store shelves full of decorations and items for Thanksgiving, Christmas and the New Year. The church calendar is not amiss on this important occasion. “Each week of Advent focuses on a different theme — hope, peace, joy, and love. Christians from all denominations and backgrounds celebrate Advent in different ways, but all focus on the expectation of His second coming — waiting and preparing to celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ. [What is Advent? 2024 Guide to Meaning, History, Traditions (christianity.com)] “Each Sunday in Advent has its unique theme and symbolism. (We light a specific candle on the Advent wreath.) Observing these Sundays through prayer, reflection, and the lighting of the candles helps Christians prepare their hearts and minds for the coming of Christ on Christmas.”
Advent and our students. How do we make Christmas great with our students while still teaching them the importance of the Advent season? December days pass swiftly, making Christmas near every day. Distractions are here and there. “Student schedules are busy, and the thought of getting and giving gifts is overwhelming.” With all such preparations, including expecting visiting relatives from far-off shores, “we can have a full Christmas season and miss the birth of Jesus Christ.”
Let us not miss teaching our students “about preparing their hearts to meet Jesus this Advent season. Have them imagine meeting Him for the very first time. Give time to having students feel a depth in their relationship with Him that they have never had before through prayer and extracts in the Holy Book for them to anticipate with joy the nativity of Christ Jesus.” The Campus Ministry Office, if your school has one, would need the collaboration of the school’s faculty members. Our source (Preparing Students for Advent Season | Leader Treks Youth Ministry Blog) says, “If we don’t challenge students to prepare for Christ’s birth, — they would just take Christmas as just another holiday.”
The same source stresses, “Gift-giving is such a big part of Christmas, and it should be! God gave us the greatest gift possible when He gave us His son Jesus Christ. The gift wasn’t just a chance to meet Him; the gift was a chance for us to imitate His life. And Jesus just kept on giving us gifts beyond salvation. He gives us the gifts of peace, joy, sanctification, and love. These are some of the greatest gifts” (any of us would ever receive). “When we teach about Jesus as a gift of the Father — students can understand the abundant love of God in that gift.”
School activities during Advent. The four weeks of Advent “give us a season of waiting and joyful preparation.” Let us have some student activities to emphasize this season for these four weeks of waiting and joy by having some ways to celebrate Advent without rushing to Christmas [10 Ways to Celebrate Advent with Your Class — Without Rushing to Christmas — Catechist’s Journey (loyolapress.com)]:
“(1) Honor saints with feast days in December. St. Nicholas, the origin for Santa Claus, is a good example of generosity and can be celebrated with small gifts on December 6.”
Check the Philippine liturgical calendar for other saints during these four weeks of advent. This calendar provides the list for the year 2024 in the Philippines, the dates for each day of the week in January through December, noting “several holidays and observances that will occur throughout the year, including New Year’s Day, Easter, Independence Day, Christmas Eve and Day, and Eid al-Adha.” [The year 2024 Calendar – Philippines | PDF | Liturgical Calendar | Public Holiday (scribd.com)]
“The liturgical calendar includes the saints and other celebrations in accordance with the importance assigned to each one: each is a Solemnity, Feast, or Memorial. Sundays and Solemnities that begin their celebration on the evening before, Feasts and Memorials that are celebrated over one day, and Memorials either Obligatory or Optional.”
“(2) Adapt the idea of gift exchanges with an Advent prayer grab bag.” “It’s a great way to introduce intercessory prayer to both young people (and adults) in a way that takes its cue from the excitement of gift-giving.”
“(3) Host a non-material gifts workshop to incorporate the gift-giving generosity of the season. This will give our students time to think about what gifts they can give without spending any money.”
Our students can design and make Christmas cards from scrap materials with their talents and ingenuity. They can give loved ones an example of their ingenuity in the spirit of Christian love.
Teresita Tanhueco-Tumapon, PhD, one of the Philippines’ most accomplished educators and experts on higher education institutional management, studied at top universities in the Philippines, Germany, Britain and Japan. She held top academic positions at Xavier University, the Ateneo de Cagayan; was presidential appointee after EDSA 1986 to normalize campus operations in state institutions; and served 17 years after that as SUC president. She is an Internationalization Office consultant and professorial lecturer at Liceo de Cagayan University. Awards include the CHEd Lifetime Professional Achievement Award, the British Council Valuable Services Recognition Award, the Federal Republic of Germany Order of Merit, and the Department of Education award for her initiatives as a pioneer member of the Philippine Teacher Education Council.
ttumapon@liceo.edu.ph
