The Advent Season
Advent means "the coming." It is a time of expectant waiting and preparation for the celebration of the Nativity of Jesus at Bethlehem 2000 years ago. The season starts on the fourth Sunday before Christmas Day. The first Sunday of Advent is the church's "New Year's Day" as it is the beginning of the church's liturgical calendar.
The theme is one of readiness for not only Christ's birth but also for the second coming of Christ. The readings primarily deal with the first coming of Christ as savior, but they also point to the second coming where Christ is seen as the Judge, the Alpha and the Omega. the beginning and the end. Christ comes to us in four ways: as the Redeemer, in the Eucharist, in his Word through the gospels, and through fellow members of the Mystical Body.
Advent is a mixture of joy, excitation at His coming, and penance, a deliberate downplay of the festival life in anticipation of the joy of His arrival. To remind us of the penitential aspects of Advent, the priest's vestments are purple and the ornamentation of the church is subdued. The third Sunday of Advent is called "Gaudete Sunday" as the entrance prayer in Latin began with the exhortation "Be Joyful". On that day in Italy the "shepherds" visit the shrines with their bagpipes. The priest normally wears pink or rose-colored vestments as a sign of joy.
The Advent wreath has four outside candles, three purple and one for "Gaudete Sunday." The purple candles remind us of the penitential aspects of Advent. The fourth candle, usually a brighter color, is for "Gaudete Sunday." That candle is sometimes referred to as the "Joy" or "Shephereds' Candle." The fourth Sunday recalls the Annunciation, so that candle is often referred to as the "Angel" candle. The Magnificat, Mary's prayer, is often featured on that Sunday. Many wreaths, as above, have a fifth candle representing Christ and it is lit on Christmas Eve.
The theme is one of readiness for not only Christ's birth but also for the second coming of Christ. The readings primarily deal with the first coming of Christ as savior, but they also point to the second coming where Christ is seen as the Judge, the Alpha and the Omega. the beginning and the end. Christ comes to us in four ways: as the Redeemer, in the Eucharist, in his Word through the gospels, and through fellow members of the Mystical Body.
Advent is a mixture of joy, excitation at His coming, and penance, a deliberate downplay of the festival life in anticipation of the joy of His arrival. To remind us of the penitential aspects of Advent, the priest's vestments are purple and the ornamentation of the church is subdued. The third Sunday of Advent is called "Gaudete Sunday" as the entrance prayer in Latin began with the exhortation "Be Joyful". On that day in Italy the "shepherds" visit the shrines with their bagpipes. The priest normally wears pink or rose-colored vestments as a sign of joy.
The Advent wreath has four outside candles, three purple and one for "Gaudete Sunday." The purple candles remind us of the penitential aspects of Advent. The fourth candle, usually a brighter color, is for "Gaudete Sunday." That candle is sometimes referred to as the "Joy" or "Shephereds' Candle." The fourth Sunday recalls the Annunciation, so that candle is often referred to as the "Angel" candle. The Magnificat, Mary's prayer, is often featured on that Sunday. Many wreaths, as above, have a fifth candle representing Christ and it is lit on Christmas Eve.
