The Difference between Advent and Lent

On the surface, Advent and Lent are liturgical seasons expressed by the color violet, which prepare for a major feast. It is common to hear one explanation of the difference, that only Lent (and not Advent) is a penitential season, although Advent clearly arose as a kind of pre-Christmas Lent, beginning at one point after St. Martin’s feast day in mid-November. It is true that Canon Law does not list Advent as a penitential period, although recovery its distinct form of penitence could go a long way to unlocking the spiritual power of the celebration of Christmas.

The penance of Lent is found in denial, following Jesus out into the desert. It does not focus primarily on the coming Resurrection but keeps it focus on the Cross, doing penance and dying to self. In Advent, the attention is not turned away from the Nativity, but actually focuses on it (even if the creche is empty) in anticipation. Advent is a time of waiting. It entails penance because the object of expectation is not present yet and there is a longing for it that prepares the way like John the Baptist. We turn away from other desires and focus our attention on the coming of Jesus.

Advent endures hardship like a pregnant woman, who already anticipates the joy of the coming birth. We wait for the shoot to blossom. Lent endures hardship not simply looking forward to a coming, as it also looks back to past sin and wants to atone for this wrong. The Cross must come before the Resurrection and is the focus of Lenten meditation and penance. There must be a pruning of the plant so that it can flower again.

Advent keeps the goal of Christmas in mind and follows the steps of preparation. There are three ways of preparation laid out by the Church in Advent. The expectation of Israel, narrated by the prophet Isaiah. The immediate preparation of John the Baptist that prepares a smooth road in the heart to receive the Messiah. We also follow the steps of Mary and Joseph from the Annunciation to the Visitation and finally to Bethlehem.

The Maronite Church arranges its season of Advent as a kind of pilgrimage, which it calls the Season of the Glorious Birth of Our Lord, or also the Season of Announcements. Over six Sundays it follows the coming of Jesus through the angel’s Announcement to Zechariah, the Annunciation to Mary, Mary’s Visitation to Elizabeth, the Birth of John the Baptist, the angel’s Revelation to Joseph, and the Genealogy of Jesus. Its a powerful liturgical arrangement that shows the kind of preparation we need to receive the coming “dawn” of Jesus’s birth, prophesied by Zechariah, saying “yes” to God’s plan like Mary at the Annunciation, and showing obedience, even when God’s plan is beyond us, like Joseph.

Although Advent is distinct from Lent with its own penitence, we could also learn more from our approach to Lent. Advent too needs to be taken seriously, with its own form of penance. We need to show the kind of expectation possessed by Israel, the opening of a way for the Messiah like John the Baptist, and must follow God’s plan like the Holy Family.