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| Advent Wreath with 3 purple candles and one rose colored...the White is Christmas Day |
Advent Preparing for Christ's Birth
and His Second Coming
In the Catholic Church, Advent is a period of
preparation, extending over four Sundays, before Christmas. (For more details,
see "When Does Advent Start?") The word Advent comes from the Latin
advenio, "to come to," and refers to the coming of Christ. This
refers, first of all, to our celebration of Christ's birth at Christmas; but
second, to the coming of Christ in our lives through grace and the Sacrament of
Holy Communion; and finally, to His Second Coming at the end of time.
Our preparations, therefore, should have all
three comings in mind. We need to prepare our souls to receive Christ worthily.
When Does Advent Start?
For
2012 it begins December 2, 2012 and ends December 23, 2012.
Advent is called a "little Lent,"
because, like Lent, it is a time of repentance. While fasting during Advent
used to be universal, most Western Christians today treat Advent as an early
part of the Christmas season. Eastern Rite Catholics (and the Eastern
Orthodox), however, continue to celebrate Advent with the Philip's Fast, named
after the Apostle Philip. The fast doesn't really have anything to do with the
Apostle Philip, other than the fact that it starts on November 15, the day
after his feast in the Eastern calendar. It runs through Christmas Eve,
December 24.
Celebrate Advent . . . With a Fast!
By Scott P. Richert, About.com Guide November
15, 2012
Like most fasts in the Eastern Church,
Philip's Fast is fairly strict and includes abstinence from meat, eggs, and
dairy products on all weekdays, and fish, oil, and wine on most days.
(Different Eastern Churches observe the fast more or less strictly; because
extreme fasting can affect your health, you should never increase the
strictness of a fast beyond what the Church prescribes without consulting with
your priest.)
While Roman Rite Catholics are no longer
bound to fast during Advent, reviving the tradition of repentance during Advent
can help us better appreciate our Christmas celebration. Pope John Paul II
called on Western Catholics to learn more about the traditions of our Eastern
Rite brethren; joining them, even if for only one day a week, in celebrating
Philip's Fast is a very good way to do so.
When Does the Christmas Season
Start?
Christmas Day is the first day of the Christmas Season.
The period of feasting continues until Epiphany, the 12th day after Christmas,
and the Christmas season proper continues until the feast of the Presentation
of the Lord (Candlemas)--February 2--a full 40 days after Christmas!
What most people think of as "the
Christmas season," the period between Thanksgiving and Christmas, roughly
corresponds to Advent, the period of preparation for the Christmas feast.
Advent begins on the fourth Sunday before Christmas and ends on Christmas Eve.
It's meant to be a time of preparation--of prayer, fasting, almsgiving, and
repentance. In the early centuries of the Church, it was observed by a 40-day
fast, just like Lent, which was followed by the 40 days of feasting in the
Christmas season.
The Symbols of Advent
In its symbolism, the Church continues to
stress the penitential and preparatory nature of Advent. As during Lent, priests wear purple
vestments, and the Gloria ("Glory to God") is omitted during Mass. The only exception is on the Third Sunday of
Advent, known as Gaudete Sunday, when priests can wear rose-colored vestments.
As on Laetare Sunday during Lent, this exception is designed to encourage us to
continue our prayer and fasting, because we can see that Advent is more than
halfway over.
Why Do Priests Wear
Purple During Advent?
All of these things are signs of the
penitential nature of Advent and a reminder that the Christmas season hasn't
started yet. I've mentioned before that Advent was once known as a "little
Lent," and so the penitential color of purple makes an appearance, the
organ is muted, and the Gloria--one of the most festive hymns of the
Mass--isn't sung. Our thoughts, even on Sunday, are supposed to be on preparing
ourselves for the coming of Christ, both at Christmas and at the Second Coming.
Just as during Lent, however, the Church
allows us some rest as we pass the halfway point of Advent. The third Sunday of
Advent is known as Gaudete Sunday, because "Gaudete"
("Rejoice") is the first word of the entrance antiphon at that Mass.
On that Sunday, your priest will likely wear rose vestments--a color that still
reminds us of the penitential purple, but also has a lightness and joy to it,
reminding us that Christmas is drawing near.
What Is Gaudete Sunday?
The Third Sunday of Advent
The Introit for Gaudete Sunday, in both the Traditional Latin Mass and the
Novus Ordo, is taken from Philippians 4:4,5: "Gaudete in Domino
semper" ("Rejoice in the Lord always").
Like Lent, Advent is a penitential season, so
the priest normally wears purple vestments. But on Gaudete Sunday, having passed the
midpoint of Advent, the Church lightens the mood a little, and the priest may
wear rose vestments.
The change in color provides us with encouragement to
continue our spiritual preparation—especially prayer and fasting—for Christmas.
For this same reason, the third candle of the
Advent wreath, first lit on Gaudete Sunday, is traditionally rose-colored.
The Advent Wreath
Perhaps the best-known of all Advent symbols
is the Advent wreath, a custom which originated among German Lutherans but was
soon adopted by Catholics. Consisting of four candles (three purple and one
pink) arranged in a circle with evergreen boughs (and often a fifth, white
candle in the center), the Advent wreath corresponds to the four Sundays of
Advent. The purple candles represent the penitential nature of the season,
while the pink candle calls to mind the respite of Gaudete Sunday. (The white
candle, when used, represents Christmas.)
The History of the Advent Wreath
 |
| A typical German Adventskranz, or Advent wreath. |
FR. WILLIAM SAUNDERS
The Advent wreath is part of our long-standing
Catholic tradition. However, the actual origins are uncertain. There is
evidence of pre-Christian Germanic peoples using wreathes with lit candles
during the cold and dark December days as a sign of hope in the future warm and
extended-sunlight days of Spring. In Scandinavia during Winter, lighted candles
were placed around a wheel, and prayers were offered to the god of light to
turn “the wheel of the earth” back toward the sun to lengthen the days and
restore warmth.
By
the Middle Ages,
the Christians adapted this tradition and
used Advent wreathes
as part
of their spiritual preparation for Christmas.
After all,
“the
Light that came into the world”
to dispel the darkness of sin and to radiate
the truth and love of God
(cf. John 3:19-21).
By 1600, both Catholics and
Lutherans had more
formal practices surrounding the Advent wreath.
The
symbolism of the Advent wreath is beautiful.
The wreath is made of various
evergreens,
signifying continuous life.
Even these evergreens have a
traditional meaning
which can be adapted to our faith:
The laurel signifies
victory over persecution and suffering;
pine, holly, and yew, immortality;
and
cedar, strength and healing.
Holly also has a special
Christian symbolism:
The
prickly leaves remind us
of the crown of thorns,
and one English legend tells
of how the cross was made of holly.
The circle of the wreath,
which has no
beginning or end,
symbolizes the eternity of God,
the immortality of the soul,
and the everlasting life found in Christ.
Any pine cones, nuts, or seedpods
used
to decorate the wreath
also symbolize life and resurrection.
All together,
the wreath of evergreens depicts the immortality
of our soul and the new,
everlasting life
promised to us through Christ,
the eternal Word of the Father,
who entered our world
becoming true man and who
was victorious over sin and
death
through His own passion, death, and resurrection.
The
four candles represent
the four weeks of Advent.
A tradition is that each week
represents
one thousand years,
to sum to the 4,000 years
from Adam and Eve
until the Birth of the Savior.
Three candles are purple and one is rose. The
purple candles in particular symbolize the prayer, penance, and preparatory
sacrifices and goods works undertaken at this time. The rose candle is lit on
the third Sunday, Gaudete Sunday, when the priest also wears rose vestments at
Mass; Gaudete Sunday is the Sunday of rejoicing, because the faithful have
arrived at the midpoint of Advent, when their preparation is now half over and
they are close to Christmas. The progressive lighting of the candles symbolizes
the expectation and hope surrounding our Lord’s first coming into the world and
the anticipation of His second coming to judge the living and the dead.
The
light again signifies Christ,
the Light of the world.
Some modern day adaptions
include a white candle placed in the middle of the wreath, which represents
Christ and is lit on Christmas Eve. Another tradition is to replace the three
purple and one rose candles with four white candles, which will be lit
throughout Christmas season.
By
the Middle Ages, the Christians adapted this tradition and used Advent wreathes
as part of their spiritual preparation for Christmas.
In
family practice, the Advent wreath is most appropriately lit at dinner time
after the blessing of the food.
A traditional prayer service using the Advent
wreath proceeds as follows:
On the First Sunday of Advent,
the father of the
family blesses the wreath, praying:
O God, by whose word all things are
sanctified,
pour forth Thy blessing upon this wreath,
and grant that we who use
it may prepare
our hearts for the coming of Christ and
may receive from Thee
abundant graces.
Who livest and reignest forever.
Amen.”
He then continues for
each of the days of the first week of Advent,
O Lord, stir up Thy might,
we beg
thee,
and come, that by
Thy protection
we may deserve
to be rescued from
the
threatening dangers
of our sins
and saved by Thy deliverance.
Who livest and
reignest forever. Amen.”
The youngest child then lights
one purple candle.
During
the second week of Advent,
the father prays:
O Lord, stir up our hearts
that we
may prepare for
Thy only begotten Son,
that through His coming
we may be made
worthy to serve
Thee with pure minds.
Who livest and reignest forever. Amen.”
The oldest child then lights
the purple candle
from the first week plus
one
more purple candle.
During
the third week of Advent,
the father prays:
O Lord, we beg Thee,
incline Thy
ear to our prayers
and enlighten the darkness
of our minds by the grace
of Thy
visitation.
Who livest and reignest forever. Amen.”
The mother then lights the
two previously lit purple
candles plus the rose candle.
Finally,
the father prays during the fourth week of Advent
 |
| The father then lights all of the candles of the
wreath. |
O Lord, stir up Thy power,
we pray Thee, and come;
and with great might help us, that with the help of Thy
grace,
Thy merciful forgiveness may hasten what our sins impede.
Who livest and
reignest forever.
Amen.”
Since
Advent is a time to stir-up our faith in the Lord,
the wreath and its prayers
provide us a way
to augment this special preparation for Christmas.
Moreover,
this good tradition helps us
to remain vigilant in our homes and
not lose sight
of the true meaning of Christmas.
http://www.catholiceducation.org/articles/religion/re0132.html
Celebrating Advent
We can better enjoy Christmas—all 12 days of
it, from Christmas Day to Epiphany—if we revive Advent as a period of
preparation. Abstaining from meat on Fridays, or not eating at all between
meals, is a good way to revive the Advent fast. (Not eating Christmas cookies
or listening to Christmas music before Christmas is another.) We can
incorporate such customs as the Advent wreath, the Saint Andrew Christmas
Novena, and the Jesse Tree into our daily ritual, and we can set some time
aside for special scripture readings for Advent, which remind us of the
threefold coming of Christ.
Holding off on putting up the Christmas tree
and other decorations is another way to remind ourselves that the feast is not
here yet. Traditionally, such decorations were put up on Christmas Eve, but
they would not be taken down until after Epiphany, in order to celebrate the
Christmas season to its fullest.
