The History of the Advent Wreath

From:  www.catholiceducation.org

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, Christ is “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.

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, 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.” The father then lights all of the candles of the wreath.

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.

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ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

Saunders, Rev. William. “The History of the Advent Wreath.” Arlington Catholic Herald.

Annunciazione

Let us prepare for the coming of our Lord and King by meditating on the great mystery of God's love and the story of the first Chirstmas.

 

From: catholicism.about.com

While a novena is normally a nine-day prayer, the term is sometimes used for any prayer that is repeated over a series of days. This prayer is often called the "Christmas Novena" or the "Christmas Anticipation Prayer," because it is prayed 15 times every day from the Feast of Saint Andrew the Apostle (November 30) until Christmas. The first Sunday of Advent is the Sunday closest to the Feast of Saint Andrew.

The novena is not actually addressed to Saint Andrew but to God Himself, asking Him to grant our request in the honor of the birth of His Son at Christmas. You can say the prayer all 15 times, all at once; or divide up the recitation as necessary (perhaps five times at each meal).

  
Saint Andrew Christmas Novena

Hail and blessed be the hour and moment in which the Son of God was born of the most pure Virgin Mary, at midnight, in Bethlehem, in piercing cold. In that hour, vouchsafe, O my God! to hear my prayer and grant my desires, through the merits of Our Savior Jesus Christ, and of His Blessed Mother. Amen.

Monasticism

Thanksgiving 2008

 

We Gather Together


We gather together to ask the Lord's blessing;
He chastens and hastens his will to make known;
The wicked oppressing now cease from distressing,
Sing praises to his name: He forgets not his own.

Beside us to guide us, our God with us joining,
Ordaining, maintaining his kingdom divine;
So from the beginning the fight we were winning;
Thou, Lord, wast at our side, All glory be thine!

We all do extol thee, thou leader triumphant,
And pray that thou still our defender wilt be.
Let thy congregation escape tribulation;
Thy name be ever praised! O Lord, make us free!
Amen --

Traditional Thanksgiving Hymn
(A translation by Theodore Baker: 1851-1934)

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Sir 50:22-24; Ps 138:1-5; 1Cor 1:3-9; Lk 17:11-19
"With all of my heart"

The saints in every age teach us again and again that we become what we love. If we love money, our life is reduced to the value of money; we live for what we can buy, rather than buy that we may live. If we love the Eucharist, our life is thanksgiving. This is the feast of all who become what they eat. We who are thanksgiving celebrate our patron feast today. Indeed, we don't just go to Mass we celebrate who we are the body and blood of Jesus Christ, who alone offers a perfect sacrifice of praise because he is the great high priest and he is the paschal Lamb that he offers to the glory of the Father and in the Holy Spirit. We give thanks with whole hearts today for the LORD has heard the words of our mouth, and in the presence of the angels we sing his praise. Indeed, we worship at his holy temple. We give thanks to His Name because of his kindness and his truth. When we call, the LORD answers; he builds up strength within us. Indeed, this is his most gracious response to our fervent petition; He gives us strength by giving us his Holy Spirit. As Saint Luke proclaims elsewhere, "If you who are wicked fathers know how to give your sons good things when they ask, how much more will your heavenly Father give you the Holy Spirit, whenever you ask?" Can there be any more perfect response to our prayer, even if we did not recognize our own petition? Whenever we pray to Abba we are already filled with the Holy Spirit, who enables our every prayer, our every breath. Every king and every ruler on the earth shall give thanks to the LORD when they hear the words from his mouth. Indeed, they shall sing the ways of the LORD, "Great is the glory of the LORD!" For this glory we give thanks, and we become that which we love.

What are those wondrous things that God has done on the earth? He has taken a band of slaves out of Egypt and made them his chosen people, his holy nation. The LORD sent prophets among his people to summon them back to him in repentance and in love. These prophets were rejected and some were killed, but this does not prevent the LORD from forgiving and seeking reconciliation with his people. Even after their rebellion and idolatry, even after they rejected his covenant with them and he sent them into captivity in Babylon, still he brought them home and renewed his covenant love for Israel. We too, his holy people have seen such wondrous things in the sacraments. We have had daily opportunities to enter into prayer and grow in his love. The Eucharist has become the necessary food for the journey of faith. This journey was begun in baptism, and at every moment of failure we have been welcomed home in reconciliation. We have been strengthened by the sevenfold gift of the Holy Spirit to live a full and rich life of Christian witness, sharing in the cross of our Savior Jesus. Some have been brought into marital intimacy with a loving spouse, and some have been called to celibacy for the sake of the Kingdom. Others have been ordained to preach and to celebrate the mysteries of Christ in his Body the Church. When we need him the most the Lord Jesus has anointed us with the heal oil to raise us up from beds of pain and to send us on the final journey home. Indeed the LORD has granted us great joy of heart and the blessing of peace has made us one in his love. Indeed the favor and bounty of the LORD endures toward us the New Israel; we are delivered in our days.

What spiritual gift do we lack as we wait for the revelation of our Lord Jesus Christ? Nothing is lacking. In all honesty, how many of us have this response? What do we need that the LORD has not given? We are brothers and sisters in the family of God. We have begun to live in the intimacy of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. We have a home; we have an identity. Grace and peace come from God the Father through his Holy Spirit and in his Son, the Lord Jesus Christ. Grace to live and move and have our being, day in and day out. Peace that surpasses understanding and remains no matter how much we suffer. Indeed, we have been enriched in every way; we have received all discourse and all knowledge of the mysteries of the Lord Jesus so that we can witness with confidence to the Kingdom of God already present and yet, still to come fully in his glorious plan. We abound in trust that the LORD will keep us firm to the end and irreproachable on the day of our Lord Jesus Christ. This trust abides in our souls because the LORD is faithful, and he called us into fellowship with his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord. Even if we are unfaithful, he remains faithful. He cannot deny himself, even if we deny our own dignity by sin. His word of promise is sweet to our taste, sweeter than honey in the mouth. He promises to forgive and to forget. Indeed, the LORD casts our sins into the depths of the sea and as far away from us as the east is from the west. As the prophet preaches, "Behold I make all things new! Do you not perceive it?" Indeed, the Lord Jesus forgives our sins and forgets our sins. What joy and gladness abound in our hearts to remember that the Lord forgets, and that what he forgets ceases to exist. Indeed, we remember our sins only to repent, yet again, so that the healing continues and the fire of his love fully consumes the dross and purifies the true gold of our hearts.

Why did the ten persons with leprosy obey the command of the Lord Jesus? Were they waiting for just such a command? Did they know that the law commanded anyone who was healed of leprosy had to be examined by the priests? Perhaps they heard in the voice of the Master an authority they could not question. Perhaps when he said, "Go show yourselves to the priests;" they knew that he had pity on them. They knew that the Master had responded to their prayer, "Jesus, Master! Have pity on us!" It seems that all of them had the gift of faith, even the size of a mustard seed. Though they had this great gift of faith, something was lacking. What is that something? Perhaps it is gratitude? Do we come to Eucharist because of our faith? Do we have thankful hearts as we enter into the Holy Mass? Have we even given thanks for the gift of faith that brings us to the Table of the LORD again and again? Only the outcast is willing to express his gratitude! Only the rejected Samaritan is praised for his grateful return to give thanks to God! Without a thankful heart are we really at the Eucharist? Do we even notice our own leprosy of sin? Do we give thanks to God for the unconditional kindness of the Master who has pity on us again and again? Do we hear him saying to us even now, "Stand up and go; your faith has salved you."

The Present Moment

From franciscanfriars.com

By: Br. Jeremiah Myriam Shryock, CFR

There was a zealous young monk who entered a monastery intending to devote his whole life to God in prayer and silence. The monastery he entered was known for its austere way of life and its strict regimen of prayer. However, when the monks were not “praying” in the church or privately in their cells, they were assigned various jobs to help with the upkeep of the monastery. Every morning after Mass the novice master would assign the young monk jobs such as cutting the grass, planting vegetables and flowers in the garden, cooking and cleaning the church.

After a few weeks this young monk became infuriated. He complained interiorly about the “excessive” amount of work he was involved in and reminded himself over and over again that he came to the monastery to devote his whole life to prayer and not to manual labor. He imagined other monasteries tucked nicely on a mountain somewhere where there would be no intrusions upon his life of prayer.

Shortly after, the young monk approached the novice master and rattled off his list of complaints. Finally, hoping to sum up everything, the young monk said, “I came here to devote my life to prayer – not to work!” The novice master, who was patiently listening to him replied, “Well, what have you been doing these past couple of months while you were working? I knew of your desire for prayer, so I gave you the quietest jobs to help foster your prayer life.”

Oftentimes we don’t look for God exactly where He is – in the present moment. Rather, like the young monk, we imagine a life where everything is perfect or one that must conform to the ideas we often stubbornly hold on to. Therefore, everything and everybody becomes obstacles to God, love, happiness, etc. Since this person cannot accept reality and people as they really are, this person will spend their whole life running until eventually they will collapse somewhere and most likely be all alone.

God does not need the “ideal” setting to come into our lives. All He needs is our invitation. With this attitude of openness to God and to life, there is really no such thing as “distractions.” Although our ideas and preferences are good, God’s are always better and He is primarily concerned with what is really best for us.

Since there is nothing that passes by Him unnoticed, there should be nothing in our life, despite how annoying and burdensome something may appear, that prevents us from seeking God and sharing our lives with Him. Therefore, let us meet God where He is, here in the present moment, whether we are happy, annoyed, scared, joyful, tired, etc. Let us turn to Him however we may feel and in whatever situation we find ourselves right now. After all, that is where God is.