Against all odds, over 2,000 years ago, a young couple went for miles to prepare for the birth of their baby.  The Good News of the birth of our Lord Jesus Christ is as important as ever and so is preparing our hearts for his coming.  

Even during this pandemic, we still need to live out the full season of Advent to prepare ourselves for the celebration of Jesus.  Advent comes from the Latin word meaning "coming."  Jesus is coming, both into a manger and into our hearts.  While most of us typically think of Advent as a joyous season, it is also meant to be a period of preparation - preparation for the arrival of Jesus.  How will you prepare this season?

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Advent Wreath, Colors, Candles & Light

• The Advent wreath has been a part of Catholic tradition since the 1600’s. Prior to this, candles and wreaths were used during December as a sign of hope in the future. The wreath can be made of different types of evergreens, each representing life.
  Evergreens point to something more
  • Pine & Yew, common evergreens, points to everlasting life.
  • Laurel (Bay), which was used to crown those who won in the games, signifies victory.
  • Cedar, because it is long lasting and aromatic, is symbolic of strength and healing.
  • Juniper, holly, and rosemary are used because by legend these plants provided shelter and help for the Holy Family when they fled from Bethlehem to Egypt. The fragrance of rosemary, it has been said, began when the Virgin Mary laid out the Infant Jesus’ clothes to dry on this plant. The rosemary bush responded by perfuming the Christ Child’s clothing.
  • Holly and its prickly leaves remind us of the Crown of Thorns. Red berries remind us of the Blood of Jesus shed for us on the Cross.
  • Ivy, since it is frequently used as a decoration, has always been a symbol of joy and festivity.
  A wreath without end!  The wreath is generally made into a circle, 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. 

• More than a candle!  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 of the world!  The light again signifies Christ, the Light of the world. Some traditions include a white candle be placed in the middle of the wreath, which represents Christ and is lit on Christmas Eve. Historically the appropriate candle of the advent wreath was lit at dinner on Sunday after grace was said. Each week adding another candle till all four are lit ending with the last Sunday before Christmas. 
  
  Adapted in part from: Saunders, Rev. William. “The History of the Advent Wreath.” Arlington Catholic Herald. 
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4 Weeks of Meaningful Prayer

WEEK 1: HOPE
PURPLE
God let your blessing come upon us as we light this wreath. May it turn our hearts to you in the days ahead. Grant us the hope, peace and joy and love we long for, as we await the coming of your Son with patient hearts. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen.

WEEK 2: PEACE
PURPLE
God, as we light our second candle, we place our trust in you, just as Mary did. 
Open my heart, let me be your servant, lead me where you desire. Help me to be an instrument of peace.

Mary, teach us to trust in God has you have. Let us do what sometimes seems unthinkable and impossible in this world. Let us be humble and to accept without always understanding why or how. Amen.

WEEK 3: JOY
PINK
O God, prepare our hearts as we light the second candle, remove any sadness that hinders us from feeling the joy and hope the coming of Christ brings. Help us to proclaim the words that Mary said, My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord, my spirit rejoices in God my savior. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen.

WEEK 4: LOVE & FAITH
PURPLE
​O God, as we light the third candle, open our hearts to prepare the way for the coming of Christ. Guide us in your ways of compassion so that we may extend your love and mercy to all people. We ask this in the name of Jesus, the Eternal Word, who lives with you and the Holy Spirit. Amen.

On Christmas Day

LIGHT THE WHITE CANDLE
(If you can, before you open your Christmas presents)
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Let me just for a moment, Lord, hold this time in our hearts.  Help us to remember the immense love you have for each of us in this room and for all those who cannot be with us.  With each gift that is opened, no matter how perfect or not, let me feel again the many ways you gift us each day, especially with your presence in our hearts and the presence of each other in our lives. Amen.

Christmas is not an end to Advent, it is a beginning. A beginning of a new season, a new journey in our hearts with Christ.

Prayer Before Christmas Dinner
Good and gracious God...
As we gather around this table, we are grateful for all who we are able to share our Christmas dinner with. We are thankful for the many blessings you have given us.

Please bless our food, conversation and our time together. We also ask for your blessings for those who cannot be with us and people who are without and do not have a family or the ability to share a meal, show us the way so that we may reach out to them.

This has been a challenging year. Let us not forget the journey which Mary and Joseph took was filled with challenges and unknowns. Let us be sensitive to the people around us with mercy and compassion.
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To you we give thanks and praise. Amen