Posted on 11/26/2005 9:50:23 AM PST by Salvation
 |
 ADVENT The word Advent is from the Latin adventus for "coming" and is associated with the four weeks of preparation for Christmas. Advent always contains four Sundays, beginning on the Sunday nearest the feast of St. Andrew the Apostle, (November 30) and continuing until December 24. It blends together a penitential spirit, very similar to Lent, a liturgical theme of preparation for the Second and Final Coming of the Lord, called the Parousia, and a joyful theme of getting ready for the Bethlehem event. Since the 900s Advent has been considered the beginning of the Church year. This does not mean that Advent is the most important time of the year. Easter has always had this honor. The traditional color of Advent is purple or violet which symbolizes the penitential spirit. Religious traditions associated with Advent express all these themes. |
|
Please notify me via FReepmail if you would like to be added to or taken off the Catholic Advent Ping List.
Here's something that Pope Benedict wrote back in 86:
Memory Awakens Hope. . . . . . . . . . . . . Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger, Seek That Which Is Above,1986
"Advent is concerned with that very connection between memory and hope which is so necessary to man. Advent’s intention is to awaken the most profound and basic emotional memory within us, namely, the memory of the God who became a child. This is a healing memory; it brings hope. The purpose of the Church’s year is continually to rehearse her great history of memories, to awaken the heart’s memory so that it can discern the star of hope.…
It is the beautiful task of Advent to awaken in all of us memories of goodness and thus to open doors of hope."
|
**Advent is concerned with that very connection between memory and hope which is so necessary to man.**
This is where the unchurched and the atheists lose their hope! Not that they have lost their memory, but they have losot their hope.
|
|
| Preparing to Prepare |
|
 |
|
| 11/26/05 |
 |
 |
I don’t know why it catches me by surprise. It happens almost every year. The Sunday after Thanksgiving is the first Sunday of Advent. The commercial world is telling us that the Christmas season is upon us. It’s not. |
The reason the Word of God became man
from the treatise of Irenaeus, 130-200 A.D.
For this reason the Word of God became man and the Son of God became the son of man in order that man, being mingled with the Word of God and being granted adoption should become the son of God.
In no other way could we have received incorruptibility and immortality, without ourselves first being united to them. How could we be made one with incorruptibility and mortality by immortality and so enable us to receive adoption as sons.
This same Son of God, therefore, who is our Lord and the existing Word of the Father is also son of man. He was born like other men, born of Mary, who was herself of human stock and a member of the human race, and so he became the son of man.
It was for this reason that the Lord gave a sign here below and in heaven above that man had not asked for. Man had neither hoped that a virgin could be with child and bear a son, although she was a virgin; nor that this child would be God with us, coming down to the earth below in search of the sheep that was lost (which he himself had made) and once again ascending on high and offering in trust to the Father the man he had found. This same Lord himself became the first-fruits of the resurrection of man, so that the resurrection of the head should mean the resurrection of the rest of the body, and that every man alive should rise again on completion of the time of the punishment, which his disobedience had earned. For the body in its varied
joints and ligaments grows up and is strengthened by God’s aid, and each of the members has its appropriate fitting place in the body. The Father has many mansions in the same way as there are many members in the body.
When, therefore, man fell, God was geneours in mercy, since he foresaw the victory which would be his through the agency of the Word. For because his power was made perfect in weakness, he displayed the kindness of God and the greatness of his power.
Funny that I should come across this thread...
I've been considering having my children keep an Advent wreath this year, but I'm not quite sure how to go about it. I imagine myself lighting real candles, only to set the evergreens on fire and then running around in a panic trying to extinguish the flames.
Would electric lighted candles be tacky? Maybe I should just have them make Advent calendars - much safer.
What do you do?
You have FReepmail.
I decided to post my message too.
You can get the makings for an Advent wreath at your local Catholic book store: metal frame, candles or you can do as I have done and shop the Christmas bazaars for an Advent wreath. One year I found one from wood made in a square with interlocking corners.
I only lighted mine (when we had children) at meal time. Then we were all seated around the table and there was no chance for it to catch on fire.
If you do not want to use pillar candles you could alsways use votive candles in glass holders that would not drip on any greenery.
I know I was always worried about the chance of it all catching fire, but I never had a problem with lighting it only at meal time and prayer times as we sat around our table. (Sometimes we would move the wreath to the coffee table -- Sunday evenings -- for prayer.)
I don't have a wreath, but I have the candles sitting in a circle, and I intend to light them!
|
You can get a wreath that isn't evergreen. I have one that's pewter.
If you really want to do real evergreens, at Wal-mart, or something, you might be able to get a circular trench and put oasis in it to keep the boughs from drying too badly. An aluminum or glass pie plate might work, too, just to keep the evergreens wet in the oasis.
We had a calendar made of felt, with tiny ornaments (and a Bible verse) to pin on the empty tree at the top of the calendar. My five children took turns taking the little ornament off the calendar, reading the verse, and putting it on the tree at the top of the calendar.
But we also had an Advent wreath too.
Good idieas.
Advent Wreath Blessing
All In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.
Amen.
Leader
Our help is in the name of the Lord.
All Who made heaven and earth.
Leader
In the short days and long nights of Advent, we realize how we were always waiting for deliverance, always needing salvation by our God. Around this wreath, we shall remember God's promise.
Scripture Reading
The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light; Upon those who dwelt in the land of gloom a light has shone. You have brought them abundant joy and great rejoicing.
This is the Word of the Lord.
(Alternate readings: Isaiah 63:16-17 or Isaiah 64:2-7)
All Thanks be to God.
Lord's Prayer
Leader
Let us now pray for God's blessing upon us and upon this wreath.
Lord our God, we praise you for your child, Jesus Christ:
the Emmanuel, the hope of the peoples,
the wisdom that teaches and guides us, the Savior of every nation.
Lord God, let your blessing come upon us as we light the candles of this wreath.
May the wreath and its light be a sign of Christ's promise to bring us salvation.
May he come quickly and not delay.
We ask this through Christ our Lord.
All Amen.
Light the first candle.
Leader
Let us bless the Lord.
All Thanks be to God. (Making the sign of the cross)
The blessing concludes with a verse from “O Come, O Come, Emmanuel” or another advent song.
Each day in Advent, perhaps at the evening meal, light the candles: one candle the first week, two the second, and so forth.
Very beautiful and thought provoking quote. Thanks for posting it!
|
|
Week 1: First Sunday of Advent Prayer for the Advent Wreath Lord, our God, we praise You for Your Son, Jesus Christ, for He is Emmanuel, the Hope of all people.
Waiting We light a candle today, a small dim light against a world that often seems forbidding and dark. But we light it because we are a people of hope, a people whose faith is marked by an expectation that we should always be ready for the coming of the Master. The joy and anticipation of this season is captured beautifully in the antiphons of hope from the monastic liturgies: See! The ruler of the earth shall come, the Lord who will take from us the heavy burden of our exile |
Thanks for the advice!
Advent Prayer
Henri J.M. Nouwen
Lord Jesus,
Master of both the light and the darkness, send your Holy Spirit upon our preparations for Christmas.
We who have so much to do seek quiet spaces to hear your voice each day.
We who are anxious over many things look forward to your coming among us.
We who are blessed in so many ways long for the complete joy of your kingdom.
We whose hearts are heavy seek the joy of your presence.
We are your people, walking in darkness, yet seeking the light.
To you we say, "Come Lord Jesus!"
Amen.
Activities:
|
 |
November 27, 2005    First Sunday of Advent Old Calendar: First Sunday of Advent
In the Mass of this Sunday the whole work of redemption is set before us, from its preparation in Israel's expectancy and its effect on our present lives down to its final fulfillment. The Church, in preparing us to celebrate at Christmas the birth of Him who came to snatch our souls from sin and transform them into the likeness of His own, invokes upon us and on all men the complete accomplishment of the mission of salvation that He came to perform upon this earth. On the first Sunday of Advent, the traditional opening prayer (or Collect) prayed: "Stir up Thy might, we beg Thee, and come." With this request to God to "stir up" His might, this day was traditionally called Stir-Up Sunday. Many families create a traditional plum pudding or fruit cake or some other recipe that all the family and guests can "stir-up." This activity of stirring-up the ingredients symbolizes our hearts that must be stirred in preparation for Christ's birth.
The first reading is taken from the Book of the Prophet Isaiah 63:16b-17, 19b; 64:2-7. The prophet instructs us that there is still time to repent of our sins and to make ourselves worthy of all that Christmas means. We are the adopted sons of the Father of infinite mercy. If, truly repentant, we turn to him he will forgive us and make us worthy to be his children and call him by the loving name of Father. The second reading is from the first Letter of St. Paul to the Corinthians 1:3-9. This letter is an answer to reports concerning disputes and difficulties of the Church in Corinth that had reached the ears of St. Paul. It was written from Ephesus in 57 AD. The Gospel is from St. Mark 13:33-37. The end of the world is known only to God. It is his secret. He has not told us for some very good reason. But we do know that the end of this world for each one of us is at the moment of his death. When I breathe my last I shall have ended my stay in this world. I shall enter the new future world which I know exists. However, the knowledge of that moment is also hidden from me, and again for very good reasons. If many Christians knew the day and hour of their death, they would postpone their conversion until that last moment. This, of course, would be extreme foolishness, but the world is full of folly. What guarantee have such "unfaithful servants" that they will be given the grace of conversion at that last moment? What reward could such a selfish servant expect of the good Lord? There have been death-bed conversions-the good thief on the cross is an example-but such converts did not willingly postpone their conversion. The moment of our death is kept secret from us so that the naturally lazy and dilatory amongst us will see the need for being ever on the alert. When we realize what God the Father and Christ have done for us we should feel ashamed at our lack of generosity in God's service. We are expected to serve God willingly and faithfully every moment of our lives. But God knows the clay of which we are made, hence Christ's words of warning to all of us. Most of us do what we should out of a sense of gratitude to God, at least for our own self-interest. We all wish to get to heaven, and to do so we must be found worthy at the moment of death. That all-important moment is hidden from us and the only way to make sure of being found worthy then is to strive to be worthy always. "Watch!" then, is Christ's advice and command. We know not the year or the day or the hour when our master will call us. That year, day and hour will be unexpected, even if we are advanced in years or have been suffering from prolonged illness. We shall not be unprepared for it if we have tried all our lives to be faithful to Christ and to our Christian faith. This holy season of Advent is an opportune time for each one of us to look into his life and see how he stands with God. Christmas should remind us of the second coming of Christ, which will be very soon for all of us. Let us ask today: how would I fare if I were called from this world today? Could I expect to get honors, or even a pass, in my examination? Would I meet Christ as a loving brother and Savior or as a stern judge who would be forced to condemn me? If, in all honesty, most of us would find much lacking in our preparedness, we have still time to put things right. While we are in this world, God is not a stem judge but a merciful Father. He is ever ready to welcome the prodigal son provided the prodigal returns home. Today is the day to return to God. Today is the day in which to decide our future eternal state. There may be no tomorrow. Excerpted from The Sunday Readings by Fr. Kevin O'Sullivan, O.F.M.
|
Lots of family ideas and hot links in #22.
Thank you for the ping. Very nice ideas that you put together here.
Thanks for the quotes from Pope Benedict XVI.
Lighting the advent candles seems to me similar to the Jewish custom of lighting the Hanukkah candles, or of the Mother of the Jewish family lighting the Sabbath candle on Friday evenings. Often it is women lighting the advent candles, symbolic of woman's role in bringing light to the darkness of the world.
|
|
Week 1: Monday Many peoples shall come and say: "Come, let us climb the Lord’s mountain, to the house of the God of Jacob, that he may instruct us in his ways, and we may walk in his paths." For from Zion shall go forth instruction, and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem. (Isaiah 2:3) Reflection Christ is the ultimate center of meaning in the universe. It is through Christ that all people will be led to the Father. How can we hope to achieve a world in which all will seek the path of God? Only when men and women are working to achieve the unity that Christ’s redemption promises us. Advent Action Perform an act of kindness for someone you do not know. Prayer Lord, help me be at home with You, that I may listen to Your word and walk in Your way.
|
|
|
|
|
 |
|
|
|
Beginning on St. Andrew the Apostle's feast day, November 30, the following beautiful prayer is traditionally recited fifteen times a day until Christmas. This is a very meditative prayer that helps us increase our awareness of the real focus of Christmas and helps us prepare ourselves spiritually for His coming.
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 the piercing cold.
In that hour vouchsafe, I beseech Thee, O my God,
to hear my prayer and grant my desires,
[mention your request here]
through the merits of Our Saviour Jesus Christ,
and of His blessed Mother. Amen.
|
|
Week 1: Friday And as Jesus passed on from there, two blind men followed (Him), crying out, "Son of David, have pity on us!" When He entered the house, the blind men approached Him and Jesus said to them, "Do you believe that I can do this?" "Yes, Lord," they said to Him. Then He touched their eyes and said, "Let it be done for you according to your faith." And their eyes were opened. (Matthew 9:27-30) Reflection Many people scoff at the idea of miracles. Unwilling to believe that Jesus could restore the sight of the blind when He walked on earth, they are unwilling to see the miracles that Jesus continues to work today. If we are open to the guiding touch of God’s hand and willing to discover His plan for our lives, miracles will happen. What prevents us from seeing and being a part of God’s miracles? Would we rather be blind? Advent Action Send a get-well card to someone in the hospital. Lord, clarify my vision that I may see You in others and sense You within my own soul. |
|
|
|
Week 1: Saturday The light of the moon will be like that of the sun and the light of the sun will be seven times greater (like the light of seven days). On the day the Lord binds up the wounds of His people, He will heal the bruises left by His blows. (Isaiah 30:26) Reflection God, while His ways are still mysterious to us, is not on the sidelines of our lives. Just as Isaiah predicted, He has come, in Jesus, to bind up the hurt of His people, and through Jesus’ presence is still active in the world. Advent Action Find an opportunity today to be the hands of God, and "bind up" someone’s hurt. Say a kind word and listen with compassion to someone who is suffering. Before going to bed, say a decade of the rosary for your mother. Prayer Lord, flood me with Your light, and help me to brighten the lives of those whom I find most dark. |
|
|
|
Week 2: Second Sunday of Advent Prayer for the Advent Wreath Lord, our God, we praise You for Your Son, Jesus Christ, for He is Emmanuel, the Hope of all people.
Waiting We light a candle today, a small dim light against a world that often seems forbidding and dark. But we light it because we are a people of hope, a people whose faith is marked by an expectation that we should always be ready for the coming of the Master. The joy and anticipation of this season is captured beautifully in the antiphons of hope from the monastic liturgies: See! The ruler of the earth shall come, the Lord who will take from us the heavy burden of our exile |
|
|
|
Week 2: Monday Say to those whose hearts are frightened: Be strong, fear not! Here is your God, He comes with vindication; With divine recompense He comes to save you. (Isaiah 35: 4) Reflection In a world where political instability threatens long established order, where crime in our country seems out of control and unstoppable, there seems to be plenty to be afraid of. Isaiah reminds us that God’s power is beyond anything on this earth that could frighten us. "Be strong" and "fear not" this Advent. Advent Action Send a Christmas card to a young person you know and care for. Remind them that you are praying for them, and remind them of the faith significance of the upcoming holiday. Prayer Lord, You are my strength and with You here, my own fears fade right away. |
|
|
|
Week 2: Tuesday Then will the eyes of the blind be opened, the ears of the deaf be cleared; then will the lame leap like a stag, then the tongue of the dumb will sing. Streams will burst forth in the desert, and rivers in the steppe. The burning sands will become pools, and the thirsty ground, springs of water; the abode where the jackals lurk will be a marsh for the reed and papyrus. (Isaiah 35: 5-7) Reflection In Advent we celebrate the miraculous transformations Isaiah talks about: the lame leaping and streams of water bursting forth in the desert. We also celebrate seemingly ordinary events, the birth of two babies, John the Baptist and Jesus, that are part of the unfolding of God’s salvation plan. In every event of our lives, God is there, with His mercy and love and purpose. God desires that all should feel His mercy and love just as the desert sands would experience the overflowing spring. Advent Action Let God’s mercy and love operate in your own life. Make up with a friend or family member you have been fighting with. Prayer Lord, may I joyfully overflow the confining boundaries I have set to my love. |
|
|
|
Week 2: Wednesday "Come to Me, all you who labor and are burdened, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am meek and humble of heart; and you will find rest for yourselves. For My yoke is easy and My burden light." (Matthew 11:28-30) Reflection Are there burdens I can let go of? Sometimes we make other people’s problems our own. What burdens that are not my own can I give to God? Remember the old phrase, "Let go and let God." Advent Action Send a card to a friend or loved one who lost a family member during this year. Let them know you are praying for them and thinking of them this Christmas.
Prayer Lord, I give over all my cares to Your most Sacred Heart that I may be at rest in You. |
|
|
|
Week 2: Thursday The Immaculate Conception From the days of John the Baptist until now, the kingdom of heaven suffers violence, and the violent are taking it be force. (Matthew 11:12) Reflection Our world will never be bliss. We can say with Matthew, that from the days of John the Baptist until now, that God’s kingdom suffers violence. That is why we celebrate Advent over and over. We reassert that the violence we suffer in this world is not the norm, but only a temporary condition. That mystery of our faith is proclaimed each time we celebrate the Eucharist: Christ has died, Christ is risen, Christ will come again. We are grounded in this present world, but look to the world to come. Advent Action Renew your commitment to a special time of Advent prayer each day throughout the season. Say a prayer sometime today for the Americas.
Prayer Lord, may I refrain from all violent words and deeds, and help make my part of this world a more peaceful place. |
|
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.
