While he was growing up, the family of Archbishop Bernard Hebda of St. Paul and Minneapolis “appreciated having an Advent wreath,” he said, with family members taking turns leading prayers and lighting the candles.
“That would always be an important moment for us,” the archbishop said. The family also used an Advent calendar. “Especially when I was a little kid, it really helped with the anticipation leading up to Christmas,” he said.
Today, he knows people who put a manger outside, but without the Christ child. “That helps us to focus on the fact that we’re not quite there yet at Christmas, and so to take our time to savor the season of Advent,” he said.
Archbishop Hebda recently joined “Practicing Catholic” radio show producer Kayla Mayer to discuss the Advent season.
Today, the archbishop said he loves the passages from Isaiah that are read during Advent Sunday liturgies, adding that they speak “so powerfully in images,” including descriptions of feasts described as an expectation “in the kingdom.” And as an adult who developed a deeper spirituality, he said “it was always fun” to “really rely on the Liturgy of the Hours in the Advent season.”
“Even before I was expected to do that as a priest, that was one of the ways in which I was able to enter more deeply in the Scripture, but into the spirituality of the season as well,” Archbishop Hedba said. He encourages anyone looking “to go deeper this Advent” to “maybe make that commitment.” Or for those who do not pray the Liturgy of the Hours, perhaps pray one of the hours in the course of Advent, he said, or if someone already prays morning prayer and evening prayer, perhaps add the Office of Readings.
“For me, the Office of Readings in the course of Advent (is) just spectacular,” he said. “You have not only those Scripture readings that we were talking about, but then the reflections from the Fathers of the Church and the doctors of the Church.”
Another option for entering more deeply into Advent this year is to spend time in perpetual adoration, Archbishop Hebda said. “To make that kind of a commitment during the four weeks of Advent … could be terrific,” he said. “It’s a way in which, physically, we’re able then to place ourselves in the presence of Jesus, who is our hope, as we’re in the presence of the Blessed Sacrament.”
Near the end of the interview, Mayer asked Archbishop Hebda about his favorite Thanksgiving food. To hear his response and more of his thoughts on the Advent season, listen to this episode of “Practicing Catholic,” which debuts at 9 p.m. Nov. 24 on Relevant Radio 1330 AM and repeats at 1 p.m. Nov. 25 and 2 p.m. Nov. 26.
Produced by Relevant Radio and the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis, the latest show also includes an interview with Quinci Schmidt, who grew up on and works her parents’ dairy farm near Rogers. She describes life on the family farm and living her faith. A third guest is Kendra Tierney, from Catholic All Year, who discusses the importance of Advent and how the faithful can make this year’s Advent the best ever.
Listen to interviews after they have aired at PracticingCatholicShow.com or choose a streaming platform at anchor.fm/practicing-catholic-show.
