Our Lady of the Expectation, multi-coloured wood statue, 16th century. Museum of Santa Cruz, Toledo, Spain.

The Feast of the Expectation of the Blessed Virgin Mary (Spanish: Nuestra Señora de la Expectación) was a Catholic Feast that was originally celebrated in Spain, but started to be celebrated in other Catholic countries.[1] It is not on the universal calendar, but is still commemorated on December 18 in some places such as Spain, Portugal, Italy and Poland as well as in a few religious orders. The Dominicans honor Mary under the title of "Our Lady of the Expectation".[2]

History

The feast owes its origin to the bishops of the tenth Council of Toledo, in 656.[3] The accompanying of the expectant mother of Jesus became a prominent theme that spread throughout the Iberian Peninsula and Italy during the Middle Ages.[4] A High Mass was sung at a very early hour each morning during the octave, and it became customary that all who were with child would attend, that they might honor Our Lady's Maternity, and seek a blessing upon themselves.[5] "The feast heightens the anticipation of Christmas and makes the last few days of Advent unique opportunities to meditate on what Mary must have been pondering in her heart."[6] It is sometimes joined with a novena beginning on December 16 and ending on Christmas Eve.

See also

References

  1. ↑ Public Domain Herbermann, Charles, ed. (1913). "Feast of the Expectation of the Blessed Virgin Mary". Catholic Encyclopedia. New York: Robert Appleton Company.
  2. ↑ Davenport, Thomas. "Our Lady of the Expectation", Dominicana, December 18, 2015
  3. ↑ "Expectation of the Blessed Virgin Mary", Silverstream Priory
  4. ↑ Manalo, Ricky. "Deepening Advent, Widening the Circle: Celebrating Las Posadas and Simbang Gabi", Pastoral Liturgy
  5. ↑ Guéranger, O.S.B., Prosper Louis Paschal. The Liturgical Year, Vol. 1, Advent. (Trans. by Laurence Shepherd), Westminster, MD: The Newman Press, 1948, pp. 488-90
  6. ↑ Kosloski, Philip. "A feast that ponders what Mary felt in the final days before Christ’s birth", Aleteia, December 17, 2017

 This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Herbermann, Charles, ed. (1913). "Feast of the Expectation of the Blessed Virgin Mary". Catholic Encyclopedia. New York: Robert Appleton Company.

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