The first Sunday of Advent, November 30th, 2014, marks the beginning of our new liturgical year.
Advent is NOT part of the Christmas season.
Advent is when priests wear the colour purple because Advent is primarily a penitential season that precedes the Christmas season.
It always begins four Sundays before Christmas Day.
Our Christmas celebrations actually begin on Christmas Day. THAT'S when we BEGIN to listen to Christmas carols (the religious hymns, not Christmas/winter songs).
Let's not put our Christmas trees up until a day or two before Christmas. Then leave the tree up until Epiphany (January 6th).
Priests don robes of white. From December 25th to January 5th the Latin Rite of the Catholic Church celebrates the season of Christmas.
Advent is a time of fasting and abstinence. We have lost much by ignoring this. How can we truly feast if we don't first fast?
Those Were the Days of Giants! A Brief Reflection on the Fasting and Abstinence that were once common in Advent and Lent
Of course, in recent decades Advent has almost wholly lost any real penitential practices. There is no fasting or abstinence required. Confession is encouraged and the readings still retain a kind of focus on repentance.But long gone are the days of a forty day fast beginning on Nov 12. The observances were every bit as strict as Lent.
There are many Advent customs to follow. The whole point of celebrating Advent before celebrating Christmas is to prepare our souls for Christ's coming.
- We need to be prepared for His coming into the world as a new born baby at Christmas.
- We also must be prepared for His second coming which could be any day or sometime in the distant future.
- We must be prepared for whenever He comes to us personally. Jesus comes to each of us in a very personal way when we receive His Body and Blood, Soul and Divinity in the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass. He also comes to us when we hel someone in need, correct someone who is believing false teachings, or when we simply befriend the friendless.
- Most importantly we must be prepared for our own "end time" when we breath our last. That could happen before you wake up tomorrow ... or long after you celebrate your 100th birthday. Advent helps us to be prepared.
Some Advent Activities
But who can wait that long to celebrate the birth of God-made-Man?
Traditionally the celebrations really begin on the 24th (if not a few days earlier for many of us).
Saint Andrew Christmas Novena
(This is from Scott P. Richert's blog.)
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. The Saint Andrew Christmas Novena is often called simply 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.
"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 Saviour Jesus Christ, and of His Blessed Mother.
Amen."
The Advent wreath
The Advent wreath has three violet or purple candles and one rose or pink candle. The rose candle is lit on the third Sunday of Advent in anticipation of our rejoicing at Christmas -- this is "Gaudete Sunday," when the priest also wears rose vestments at Mass. We change from purple in anticipation of the joy of the season of Christmas.
Here's a typical Advent wreath using coloured candles:
Or
In our family we've usually used the large candles as they can burn safely for a long time. We always have a white candle for Christmas Eve and Christmas Day.
See also
The History of the Advent Wreath
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.
"The Creche that Grows"
Here's an activity that I discovered in a secular magazine many years ago. My children enjoyed this almost as much as I still do.
Choose a location -- a convenient table top that can hopefully be the focus (or near the focus) of your celebrations.
Week One -
There are two events that happen on week one. - Firstly, find some rounded rocks. These are used to represent the earth. Arrange the rocks as a boundary or frame for the display. I like a C-shaped arrangement. I have a piece or two of green felt that I use for a base on an end table.
- Secondly, the Three Wise Men begin their journey. In my house the men from the east first appear atop the refrigerator in the kitchen.
Week Two -
On week two we put greenery around the nativity scene to represent the vegetation the God has provided us with.
I have used both artificial and natural greenery over the years but artificial generally wins out since it doesn't dry out.
Week Three -
Animal life arrives on the scene. All the animals, with the possible exception of camels, traveling with the Three Wise Men, are put on display.
Week Four -
Finally all the human figurines are put in place. The only exception is the baby Jesus.
Christmas Eve -
On Christmas eve Jesus is put in the manger. Christ is born!
We also have an angel who is determined to hang at an odd angle from the nearest lamp pole. He also appears on Christmas eve.
All this time the Wise Men are making their way around the house.
Epiphany (January 6th) -
The scene is finally "complete" on January the 6th when the Magi come to bring their gifts to the King of the Universe.
The nativity scene is the last of the Christmas/Advent decorations that I put away each year.
I encourage everyone to give this method a try. Kids certainly love it and it becomes a cherished tradition. Youngsters or not it is still rewarding.
You can also make up your own special prayers and blessings for each addition to the creche.
For more ideas, including fasting, a Christmas Novena, etc. please see:
Celebrating Advent
Advent, the season of preparation for the coming of Christ at Christmas, should be a time for families to come together in prayer and devotion.
The Jesse Tree
There is a tradition I've only read about, The Jesse Tree.
THE STORY OF THE JESSE TREE
Jesse was the father of the great King David of the Old Testament. He is often looked upon as the first person in the genealogy of Jesus.
The Christmas Tree
Let us remember not to give in to worldly pressures. Save the Christmas tree for a few days before Christmas Day. We always leave ours up until January 7th, the day after The Epiphany of Our Lord.
Have a blessed Advent!
