It is, in the sense that all times are penitential times. The Catholic is called to constant conversion. Conversion is an ongoing aspect of the Christian life. There are times in our life when conversion may have a greater focus and others when it has a lesser focus, but there is no time when attention to conversion can be absent. Jesus calls us to “be perfect as your heavenly Father is perfect” (Matt. 5:48), a constant task. So, yes, to the degree that we are all affected by sin (and we all are to a greater or lesser degree), in that measure, we also are all called to conversion.

But the conversion we are called to in Advent has a distinctive character: one of “joyful hope.” A Catholic living Advent today is in a better position than Messianic prophets like Isaiah and Micah: he knows how the story turned out in Jesus of Nazareth. At the same time, today’s Catholic also knows how the story will turn out: the triumph of God and goodness, “when everything is subjected to him . . . so that God may be all in all” (1 Cor. 15:28). We know that God, who will come to judge the living and the dead, will prevail. The only thing we do not know is on which side we will be in that judgment: among the sheep or the goats.

we can easily use each of the days of Advent to prepare for the great graces of the birth of the Virgin Mary by the Lord. On the first Sunday of Advent, the Church had us sing or recite the opening antiphon or introit: “To You, Lord, I lift up my soul”. it is no coincidence that this liturgical time of hope is located between the memory of Christ's first coming to Bethlehem and the expectation of his glorious return at the end of time. In other words, Advent reminds us of both the past and the future. “Our hope does not lack foundation but is based on an event located in history, which at the same time goes beyond history: the event constituted by Jesus of Nazareth. »

The joy to which the word of God invites us is not a sweet optimism. It is something much more solid, with deep roots. It is a joy built on the certainty that, while we await his coming, our Lord is here at our side, lovingly watching over his people. He knows better than we do what we need and He is ready to assist us. And once again He tells us: do not be afraid (Is 35:4).

Advent is a time of preparation and conversion: it is a time to make myself ready “for the coming of our Savior, Jesus Christ,” judge of the living and the dead, King of the Universe. The way I prepare myself is through conversion of heart, from turning from creatures to the Creator, from sin to grace. So schools should not neglect some of the old Advent staples, like a parish mission, or at least extended hours for sacramental penance. 

When most Catholics talk about Advent, they speak of it as “preparation for Christmas.” That’s not necessarily wrong, inasmuch as celebration of the commemoration of the Nativity of the Lord requires preparation.

We need to be preparing not for a past event, but a future one. That’s why, at every Mass, after the Our Father, the priest prays that we be delivered from evil to await Jesus’ return in “joyful hope.”

I’ve been asked whether Advent is still a " penitential season". At one time, it clearly was, though some people today are confused. Yes, the priest’s vestments are purple, a penitential color. But some of the spiritual exercises of yesteryear—missions, retreats, extended confession hours—seem to have disappeared. And if you ask a canon lawyer, he’ll tell you that the Church’s penitential times are “every Friday of the whole year and the season of Lent” (CIC 1250).

Well, solid Catholic spirituality starts with good Catholic theology, not canon law. Law exists to serve the faith and its appropriation by Catholics. So is Advent still a “penitential season”?

It is, in the sense that all times are penitential times. The Catholic is called to constant conversion. Conversion is an ongoing aspect of the Christian life. There are times in our life when conversion may have a greater focus and others when it has a lesser focus, but there is no time when attention to conversion can be absent. Jesus calls us to “be perfect as your heavenly Father is perfect” (Matt. 5:48), a constant task. So, yes, to the degree that we are all affected by sin (and we all are to a greater or lesser degree), in that measure, we also are all called to conversion.

But the conversion we are called to in Advent has a distinctive character: one of “joyful hope.” A Catholic living Advent today is in a better position than Messianic prophets like Isaiah and Micah: he knows how the story turned out in Jesus of Nazareth. At the same time, today’s Catholic also knows how the story will turn out: the triumph of God and goodness, “when everything is subjected to him . . . so that God may be all in all” (1 Cor. 15:28). We know that God, who will come to judge the living and the dead, will prevail. The only thing we do not know is on which side we will be in that judgment: among the sheep or the goats.

That is why Advent is a time of preparation and conversion: it is a time to make myself ready “for the coming of our Savior, Jesus Christ,” judge of the living and the dead, King of the Universe. The way I prepare myself is through conversion of heart, from turning from creatures to the Creator, from sin to grace. So pastors should restore some of the old Advent staples, like a parish mission, or at least extended hours for sacramental penance.

The liturgical calendar is not intended to be a re-enactment of the life of Christ. Rather, it is intended systematically, year after year, to lead us through the high points of the life of Christ, from his birth to his resurrection, ascension, and sending of the Holy Spirit. Obviously, Jesus is not born every December 25.