Advent, which this year begins Dec. 3, is in the faith community a time of anticipation, which makes sense, since the word’s root is Latin for “coming.” It’s believed that Advent goes back to the fifth or sixth century, when Christians prepared to baptize the newly converted during the January Feast of the Epiphany. Advent as a way to welcome the Christ child came in the Middle Ages, when Christians began to associate Advent with his birth.