What is Advent?
Advent is the beginning of the Liturgical Year, begins on the Sunday closest to November 30 and ends on December 24. It is the four Sundays before Christmas and forms a unity with Christmas and the Epiphany.
The term "Advent" comes from the Latin adventus, which means coming, coming. The color used in the liturgy of the Church during this time is purple. With Advent a new liturgical year begins in the Church.
The meaning of Advent is to awaken in the believers the expectation of the Lord.
You can talk about two parts of Advent:
First part
From the first Sunday to the 16th of December, with a marked eschatological character, looking at the coming of the Lord at the end of time;
Second part
From December 17 to December 24, is the so-called "Holy Week" of Christmas, and is aimed at preparing more explicitly the coming of Jesus Christ in history, Christmas.
The biblical readings of this time of Advent are taken mostly from the prophet Isaiah (first reading), also the most prophetic passages of the Old Testament are recorded pointing to the arrival of the Messiah. Isaiah, John the Baptist and Mary of Nazareth are the models of believers that the Church offers to the faithful to prepare the coming of the Lord Jesus.
Courtesy: www.aciprensa.comWhat is Advent and how can we live it?
Advent is the time of preparation to celebrate Christmas and begins four Sundays before this holiday. It also marks the beginning of the Catholic New Liturgical Year and this 2016 will begin on Sunday, November 27.
Advent comes from the Latin "ad-venio", which means "to come, to arrive". It starts on the Sunday closest to the Saint Andrew Apostol party (November 30) and lasts four weeks.
Advent is divided into two parts: the first two weeks serve to meditate on the final coming of the Lord, when the end of the world occurs; while the next two serve to reflect concretely on the birth of Jesus and his irruption in the history of man at Christmas.
In the temples and houses the Wreath of Advent are placed and one candle is lit every Sunday. Also, the ornaments of the priest and altar cloths turn purple as a symbol of preparation and penance.
Many Catholics know of Advent, but perhaps worries at work, exams at school, rehearsals with the choir or the Christmas theater, the assembly of the birth or manger and the purchase of gifts, make them forget the real sense of this time.
Courtesy: www.aciprensa.comThe Advent Wreath
The Advent Wreath has its origin in a European pagan tradition that consisted of lighting candles during the winter to represent the fire of the sun god, so that it returned with its light and heat during the winter. The first missionaries took advantage of this tradition to evangelize people. They started from their customs to teach them the Catholic faith. The Wreath is formed by a great variety of symbols:
The circular shape
The circle has no beginning or end. It is a sign of the love of God that is eternal, without beginning and without end, and also of our love for God and our neighbor that must never end.
The green branches
Green is the color of hope and life, and God wants us to wait for his grace, forgiveness of sins and eternal glory at the end of our lives. The most important desire in our lives should be to reach a closer union with God, our Father.
The four candles
It makes us think of the darkness caused by sin that blinds man and distances him from God. After the first fall of man, God gave little by little a hope of salvation that illuminated the whole universe as the candles crown it. Just as the darkness dissipates with each candle that we light, the centuries were illuminated with the ever-closer arrival of Christ in our world.
There are four candles that are placed in the Wreath and are lit one by one, during the four Sundays of Advent when making family prayers. The red apples that adorn the Wreath represent the fruits of the Garden of Eden with Adam and Eve who brought sin into the world but also received the promise of the Universal Savior.
The red ribbon represents our love for God and the love of God that surrounds us.
On Sundays of Advent the family or community gathers around the Advent wreath. Then, the Bible is read and some meditation. The Wreath can be taken to the temple to be blessed by the priest.
Suggestions
a) It is preferable to elaborate the Advent wreath as a family, taking advantage of this moment to motivate the children by telling them about this custom and its meaning.
b) The Wreath should be placed in a special place inside the home, preferably in a fixed place where children can see it so that they constantly remember the coming of Jesus and the importance of preparing for that moment.
c) It is convenient to set in advance the schedule in which the candles will be lit. All this planning will make things go better and for children to see and understand that it is something important. Just as in advance we prepare the visit of an important guest, we are doing this with the most important guest we can have in our family.
d) It is also convenient to distribute the functions among the members of the family so that everyone participates and feels involved in the ceremony.
For example:
- a person in charge to have arranged and clean the place where the Wreath will go before beginning with this Christmas tradition.
- a person in charge to turn off the lights at the beginning and turn them on at the end.
- a person in charge of directing the singing or putting the recorder with a carol.
- a person in charge of directing the prayers to put oneself in the presence of God.
- a person in charge of reading the readings.
- un encargado de encender las velas.
Courtesy: www.aciprensa.com5 details that maybe you did not know about the Advent Wreath
The Church is preparing to begin the season of Advent this Sunday, November 27 and as is tradition the faithful will gather to pray and light the first candle.
Here are 5 things that every Christian should know about the famous Advent Wreath.
1. It is an example of the Christianization of culture
The Advent Wreath has its origin in a European pagan tradition that consisted of lighting candles during the winter to represent the fire of the sun god and ask him to return with his light and heat..
The first missionaries took advantage of this tradition to evangelize people and taught them that they should take advantage of this Advent Wreath as a means to wait for Christ, celebrate his nativity and pray that he would shine his light on their souls.
2. Its circular shape is a sign of God's love
The circle is a geometric figure that has neither beginning nor end. The Advent Wreath reminds us that God has no beginning or end either, so it reflects his unity and eternity. It is a sign of the love that must be had towards the Lord and our neighbor, which must be constantly renewed and never stopped.
3. The green branches represent the living Christ
Green is the color of hope and life. The branches represent that Christ is alive among us, and the green color recalls the life of grace, the spiritual growth and the hope that we must cultivate during Advent. The most important desire must be to reach a closer union with God, our Father, as well as the tree and its branches.
4. The four candles represent each Sunday of Advent
The candles allow reflection in the darkness caused by the sin that blinds man and distances him from God. After the first fall of man, God was giving little by little a hope of salvation that illuminated the whole universe, like the candles of the Wreath.
In this sense, just as the darkness dissipates with each candle that we light, the centuries became more and more illuminated with the near arrival of Christ to the world.
The four candles that are placed in the Advent Wreath are going on week by week, on the four Sundays of Advent, and with a special prayer.
5. One of the candles is pink
Traditionally the candles of the Advent Wreath are three purple and a pink one that lights the Third Sunday of Advent. The purple color represents the spirit of vigil, penance and sacrifice that we must have to prepare adequately for the arrival of Christ. While the rose represents the joy we feel at the closeness of the birth of the Lord.
In some places, all the candles of the Wreath are replaced by red candles and on Christmas Eve, in the center, a white or Syrian candle is placed symbolizing Christ as the center of everything that exists.
Suggestions
a) Arm or decorate it as a family and motivate the children to live the Advent by explaining this custom and its meaning.
b) Place it in a special place in the home, preferably in a fixed place where family members can see it to remember the coming of Jesus and the importance of preparing for Christmas.
c) Establish in advance the schedule in which the candles will be lit and use a liturgy every week.
d) Remember that just as the visit of a guest is prepared, with the tradition of the Crown we expect Jesus, the most important guest we can have in our family.
e) In Advent liturgies, distribute the functions among family members so that everyone participates and feels involved in the ceremony. These are some roles:
• Arrange and clean the place where the Crown will go before the liturgy begins.
• Turn candles on and off.
• Direct the singing or put the recorder with some carol.
• Direct prayers
• Read the readings.
Scheme of Advent 2016
It begins with vespers on the Sunday closest to November 30 and ends before the eve of Christmas. On Sundays of this time they are called 1st, 2nd, 3rd and 4th of Advent. The days of December 16 to 24 tend to prepare more specifically the Christmas holidays.
The time of Advent lasts four weeks. This year 2016, begins on Sunday, November 27, and continues until December 24. We can distinguish two periods. In the first of them, the eschatological aspect appears with greater relief and is oriented towards the awaiting of the glorious coming of Christ. The readings of the Mass invite us to live the hope of the coming of the Lord in all its aspects: his coming at the end of time, his coming now, each day, and his coming two thousand years ago.
In the second period it is more directly oriented to the preparation of Christmas. His invites us to live with more joy, because we are close to the fulfillment of what God had promised. The Gospels of these days already prepare us directly for the birth of Jesus.
In order to make this double waiting preparation sensitive, the liturgy suppresses a series of festive elements during Advent. In this way, in the mass we no longer pray the Gloria, the music is reduced with instruments, the festive adornments, the garments are purple, the decoration of the Church is more sober, etc. All this is a way to express tangibly that, while our pilgrimage lasts, we lack something so that our joy is complete. And it is that whoever waits is because something is missing. When the Lord is present in the midst of his people, the Church will have arrived at her full feast, signified by the solemnity of the feast of Christmas.
We have four weeks in which Sunday to Sunday we are preparing for the coming of the Lord. The first of the weeks of Advent is centered on the coming of the Lord at the end of time. The liturgy invites us to be awake, maintaining a special attitude of conversion. The second week invites us, through the Baptist, to "prepare the ways of the Lord"; that is, to maintain an attitude of permanent conversion. Jesus continues to call us, because conversion is a path that is traveled throughout life. The third week already preannounces the messianic joy, since the day of the Lord's coming is getting closer and closer. Finally, the fourth week already speaks of the advent of the Son of God to the world. María is a central figure, and her wait is a model that stimulates our wait.
As for the readings of the Sunday Masses, the first readings are taken from Isaiah and from the other prophets who announce the Reconciliation of God and the coming of the Messiah. In the first three Sundays the great hopes of Israel are gathered and in the fourth, the most direct promises of the birth of God. The responsorial psalms sing the salvation of God who comes; they are prayers asking for his coming and his grace. The second readings are texts of Saint Paul or the other apostolic letters, which exhort us to live in expectation of the coming of the Lord.
The color of the ornaments of the altar and the vestment of the priest is purple, as in Lent, which symbolizes austerity and penance. There are four themes that are presented during Advent:
First Sunday: November 27
Surveillance awaiting the coming of the Lord. During this first week the biblical readings and the preaching are an invitation with the words of the Gospel: "Watch and be prepared, you do not know when the time will come". It is important that, as a family, we make a purpose that allows us to advance on the path to Christmas; What do you think if we propose to review our family relationships? As a result, we must seek the forgiveness of those we have offended and give it to those who have offended us to start Advent living in an atmosphere of harmony and family love. Of course, this should also be extended to the other groups of people with whom we relate daily, such as school, work, neighbors, etc. This week, as a family as in each parish community, we will light the first candle of the Advent Wreath, purple color, as a sign of vigilance and desire for conversion.
Second Sunday: December 4
Conversion, the predominant note of the preaching of John the Baptist. During the second week, the liturgy invites us to reflect with the exhortation of the prophet John Baptist: "Prepare the way, Jesus arrives" and, what better way to prepare it than now seeking reconciliation with God? In the previous week we reconciled with the people around us; As the next step, the Church invites us to go to the Sacrament of Reconciliation (Confession) that gives us back the friendship with God that we had lost through sin. We will light the second purple candle of the Advent Wreath, as a sign of the conversion process we are living.
During this week you can search in the different temples that you have nearby, the times of confessions available, so that when Christmas arrives, you are well prepared inwardly, joining Jesus and the brothers in the Eucharist.
Third Sunday: December 11
The testimony, that Mary, the Mother of the Lord, lives, serving and helping others. This Sunday coincides with the celebration of the Virgin of Guadalupe, and precisely the Advent liturgy invites us to remember the figure of Mary, who is preparing to be the Mother of Jesus and who is also willing to help and serve those who need it. The Gospel tells us about the visit of the Virgin to her cousin Elizabeth and invites us to repeat as she did: "Who am I so that the mother of my Lord may come to see me? .
We know that Mary is always accompanying her children in the Church, so we are preparing to live this third week of Advent, meditating on the role played by the Virgin Mary. We propose that you encourage devotion to Mary, praying the Rosary as a family, one of the elements of traditional inns. We light as a sign of joyful expectation, the third candle, pink, of the Advent Wreath.
Fourth Sunday: December 18
The announcement of the birth of Jesus made to Joseph and Mary. The biblical readings and the preaching, direct their gaze to the disposition of the Virgin Mary, before the announcement of the birth of her Son and invite us to "Learn from Mary and accept Christ who is the Light of the World". As Christmas is so close, we have reconciled with God and with our brothers; Now we just have to wait for the big party. As a family we must live the harmony, the fraternity and the joy that this close celebration represents. All the preparations for the party should be lived in this environment, with the firm intention of accepting Jesus in hearts, families and communities. We light the fourth purple candle, of the Advent Wreath.
Courtesy: www.aciprensa.com