First Sunday of Advent
Feast Day: Fourth Sunday Before Christmas
The stores start Christmas in October.
The radio starts it in November.
Your neighbor’s inflatable snowman has been up since Halloween.
The Church, meanwhile, says: wait.
Not because she is against Christmas.
Because she wants you to be ready for it.
Come, Lord Jesus.
A New Year Begins
The First Sunday of Advent is New Year’s Day for the Church.
A new liturgical year begins, with new Scripture readings and a fresh start.
Advent lasts about four weeks and prepares us for Christmas.
The word “Advent” comes from the Latin adventus, which means “coming.”
Two Comings
Advent looks in two directions at once.
It looks back to Bethlehem, when God came to us as a little child.
And it looks forward to the end of time, when Christ will come again in glory.
That is why the Gospel for the First Sunday of Advent is not about the manger.
It is about the Second Coming.
“Watch ye therefore, because ye know not what hour your Lord will come.”
— Matthew 24:42, Douay-Rheims
The early Christians prayed for that day with one short line, which closes the whole Bible:
“Surely I come quickly: Amen. Come, Lord Jesus.”
— Revelation 22:20, Douay-Rheims
The Advent Wreath
Many Catholic homes and churches light an Advent wreath.
It is a circle of evergreen with four candles: three purple and one rose.
One more candle is lit each week, so the light grows as Christmas gets closer.
The rose candle is lit on the Third Sunday, called Gaudete Sunday, from the Latin word for “rejoice.”
Purple is the color of waiting and repentance.
Rose is a sign that joy is close.
Waiting Is the Point
Nobody likes waiting.
We wait in traffic, in line, and on hold, usually while listening to the same song on repeat.
But Advent teaches that waiting can be holy.
Mary waited nine months for Jesus.
Israel waited centuries for the Messiah.
Waiting makes room in the heart.
And a heart with room is ready to receive Christ.
When Is It Celebrated?
The First Sunday of Advent is a movable date.
It always falls on the fourth Sunday before Christmas, which is the Sunday closest to November 30.
That means it can land anywhere from November 27 to December 3.
In 2026, it falls on November 29.
In 2027, it falls on November 28.
What Advent Teaches Us
Advent teaches us to slow down.
It teaches us to repent, because no one prepares a house for a King while it is still a mess.
And it teaches us to hope, because the One we are waiting for always keeps His promises.
When Is the First Sunday of Advent?
The Catholic Church celebrates the First Sunday of Advent on the fourth Sunday before Christmas, the first day of the new liturgical year.
Prayer Inspired by the First Sunday of Advent
Lord Jesus Christ,
You came to us once in humility at Bethlehem,
and You will come again in glory.
Make our hearts ready for You.
Clear away whatever is crowded and noisy inside us,
and teach us to wait for You with hope.
Come, Lord Jesus. Amen.
