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With Advent the ecclesiastical year begins in the Western churches. During this time the faithful are admonished to prepare themselves worthily to celebrate the anniversary of the Lord's coming into the world as the incarnate God of love, thus to make their souls fitting abodes for the Redeemer coming in Holy Communion and through grace, and thereby to make themselves ready for His final coming as judge, at death and at the end of the world. SYMBOLISM To attain this object the Church has arranged the Liturgy for this season. In the official prayer, the Breviary, she calls upon her ministers, in the Invitatory for Matins, to adore "the Lord the King that is to come", "the Lord already near", "Him Whose glory will be seen on the morrow". As Lessons for the first Nocturn she prescribes chapters from the prophet Isaias, who speaks in scathing terms of the ingratitude of the house of Israel, the chosen children who had forsaken and forgotten their Father; who tells of the Man of Sorrows stricken for the sins of His people; who describes accurately the passion and death of the coming Saviour and His final glory; who announces the gathering of the Gentiles to the Holy Hill. In the second Nocturn the Lessons on three Sundays are taken from the eighth homily of Pope St. Leo (440-461) on fasting and alms deeds as a preparation for the advent of the Lord, and on one Sunday (the second) from St. Jerome's commentary on Isaias 11:1, which text he interprets of the Blessed Virgin Mary as "the rod out of the root of Jesse". In the hymns of the season we find praise for the coming of Christ, the Creator of the universe, as Redeemer, combined with prayer to the coming judge of the world to protect us from the enemy. Similar ideas are expressed in the antiphons for the Magnificat on the last seven days before the Vigil of the Nativity. In them, the Church calls on the Divine Wisdom to teach us the way of prudence; on the Key of David to free us from bondage; on the Rising Sun to illuminate us sitting in darkness and the shadow of death, etc. In the Masses the intention of the Church is shown in the choice of the Epistles and Gospels. In the Epistle she exhorts the faithful that, since the Redeemer is nearer, they should cast aside the works of darkness and put on the armour of light; should walk honestly, as in the day, and put on the Lord Jesus Christ; she shows that the nations are called to praise the name of the Lord; she asks them to rejoice in the nearness of the Lord, so that the price of God, which surpasses all understanding, may keep their hearts and minds in Christ Jesus; she admonishes them not to pass judgment, for the Lord, when He comes, will manifest the secrets hidden in hearts. In the Gospels the Church speaks of the Lord coming in glory; of Him in, and through, Whom the prophecies are being fulfilled; of the Eternal walking in the midst of the Jews; of the voice in the desert, "Prepare ye the way of the Lord". The Church in her Liturgy takes us in spirit back to the time before the incarnation of the Son of God, as though it were really yet to take place. Cardinal Wiseman says:
DURATION AND RITUAL On every day of Advent the Office and Mass of the Sunday or Feria must be said, or at least a Commemoration must be made of them, no matter what grade of feast occurs. In the Divine Office the Te Deum, the joyful hymn of praise and thanksgiving, is omitted; in the Mass the Gloria in excelsis is not said. The Alleluia, however, is retained. During this time the solemnization of matrimony (Nuptial Mass and Benediction) cannot take place; which prohibition binds to the feast of Epiphany inclusively. The celebrant and sacred ministers use violet vestments. The deacon and subdeacon at Mass, in place of the dalmatics commonly used, wear folded chasubles. The subdeacon removes his during the reading of the Epistle, and the deacon exchanges his for another, or for a wider stole, worn over the left shoulder during the time between the singing of the Gospel and the Communion. An exception is made for the third Sunday (Gaudete Sunday), on which the vestments may be rose-coloured, or richer violet ones; the sacred ministers may on this Sunday wear dalmatics, which may also be used on the Vigil of the Nativity, even if it be the fourth Sunday of Advent. Pope Innocent III (1198-1216) states that black was the colour to be used during Advent, but violet had already come into use for this season at the end of the thirteenth century. Binterim says that there was also a law that pictures should be covered during Advent. Flowers and relics of Saints are not to be placed on the altars during the Office and Masses of this time, except on the third Sunday; and the same prohibition and exception exist in regard to the use of the organ. The popular idea that the four weeks of Advent symbolize the four thousand years of darkness in which the world was enveloped before the coming of Christ finds no confirmation in the Liturgy. HISTORICAL ORIGIN It cannot be determined with any degree of certainty when the celebration of Advent was first introduced into the Church. The preparation for the feast of the Nativity of Our Lord was not held before the feast itself existed, and of this we find no evidence before the end of the fourth century, when, according to Duchesne [Christian Worship (London, 1904), 260], it was celebrated throughout the whole Church, by some on 25 December, by others on 6 January. Of such a preparation we read in the Acts of a synod held at Saragossa in 380, whose fourth canon prescribes that from the seventeenth of December to the feast of the Epiphany no one should be permitted to absent himself from church. We have two homilies of St. Maximus, Bishop of Turin (415-466), entitled "In Adventu Domini", but he makes no reference to a special time. The title may be the addition of a copyist. There are some homilies extant, most likely of St. Caesarius, Bishop of Arles (502-542), in which we find mention of a preparation before the birthday of Christ; still, to judge from the context, no general law on the matter seems then to have been in existence. A synod held (581) at Mācon, in Gaul, by its ninth canon orders that from the eleventh of November to the Nativity the Sacrifice be offered according to the Lenten rite on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday of the week. The Gelasian Sacramentary notes five Sundays for the season; these five were reduced to four by Pope St. Gregory VII (1073-85). The collection of homilies of St. Gregory the Great (590-604) begins with a sermon for the second Sunday of Advent. In 650 Advent was celebrated in Spain with five Sundays. Several synods had made laws about fasting to be observed during this time, some beginning with the eleventh of November, others the fifteenth, and others as early as the autumnal equinox. Other synods forbade the celebration of matrimony. In the Greek Church we find no documents for the observance of Advent earlier than the eighth century. St. Theodore the Studite (d. 826), who speaks of the feasts and fasts commonly celebrated by the Greeks, makes no mention of this season. In the eighth century we find it observed not as a liturgical celebration, but as a time of fast and abstinence, from 15 November to the Nativity, which, according to Goar, was later reduced to seven days. But a council of the Ruthenians (1720) ordered the fast according to the old rule from the fifteenth of November. This is the rule with at least some of the Greeks. Similarly, the Ambrosian and the Mozarabic rites have no special liturgy for Advent, but only the fast. FRANCIS
MERSHMAN The Catholic
Encyclopedia, Volume I The ceremony is simple. It starts at the evening meal on the Saturday before the first Sunday in Advent with the blessing of the wreath. (The head of the household is the one designated to say the prayers, following which various members of his family light the candles. If the group is not a family, then a leader may be selected to say the prayers and others appointed to light the candles.) For blessing the wreath, the following prayer is suggested: Father: 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. Through Christ our Lord. Amen. Then follows the prayer which is said before the evening meal each night of the first week in Advent. The First Week Father: 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. Through Christ our Lord. Amen. Each night the first purple candle is lighted by the youngest child of the household and is left burning during the meal.
The Second Week Father: 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. Through Christ our Lord. Amen. Then the eldest child lights not only the first but a second purple candle. Both candles burn during the evening meal as before.
The Third Week The joyful Sunday in Advent (known as "Gaudete") is represented by rose (or pink) instead of the penitential purple color. Each night during the third week the mother of the family lights the pink, as well as the two previously burned purple candles, after the following prayer has been said. Father: O Lord, we beg Thee, incline Thy ear to our prayers And enlighten the darkness of our minds by the grace of Thy visitation. Through Christ our Lord. Amen. The three candles are extinguished immediately following the meal.
The Fourth Week The father of the household lights all four candles in proper sequence during the fourth week after repeating the following prayer. Father: 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. Through Christ our Lord. Amen. Candles can be replaced as necessary during a particular Advent Season without reblessing the wreath.
After Advent For the Christmas Season which follows immediately after Advent, candles and ribbons can be changed to white. If you wish, the wreath itself can be freshened with new greens and decorated festively for use during the holiday period. Lighting all four white candles to burn during the principal meal each day of the Christmas Season is a customary and appropriate practice.
From the book, A Year of the Lord in the Christian Home by Fr. Francis X. Weiser, S.J. Selection from the Liturgical Year by Dom Prosper Gueranger, O.S.B. Published by Liturgical Press in 1954. A presentation of practical suggestions for sanctifying the Advent-Christmas season in the family. Invites full family participation. Contains instructions for the Advent Wreath, manger, Mary's candle, and the Jesse Tree. Also contains Advent hymns and symbols, O-antiphons, prayers, Blessing of the Christmas tree and numerous other ideas for putting Christ back into Christmas. Return to top Liturgical resources provided by the Knights of Columbus. Return to top
Catholic
Traditions for Advent and Christmas
Issue:
How can families better live the spirit of Advent and Christmas in their
homes? Response: The Catholic Church has designated the four weeks
preceding Christmas as Advent, a time to "prepare the way of the
Lord" for His coming as our King and Savior.
The
Liturgical Season of Advent
How did the celebration of Advent come about? From the book, A Year of the Lord in the Christian Home, by Fr. Francis X. Weiser, S.J. Resource guide by the Knights of Columbus. Provides information on the history of the Advent wreath and a practical guide for constructing an Advent wreath for the home. Return to top
THE SYMBOLSThe Circle of the Wreath: God Himself, His eternity and His endless mercy, without beginning, nor end.
Liturgy resource provided by the Passionist Fathers. Return to top
Excerpts from the book CELEBRATING ADVENT AND CHRISTMAS, A SOURCEBOOK FOR FAMILIES. Published by Women for Faith and Family. Return to top Explanation of the Advent Tower and the 'O' Antiphons. Part of 'The Twelve Days of Christmas Kit.' Return to top
Published by Liturgical Press. In this sequel to 'Family Advent Customs,' the author outlines ways and means by which the 40 days of the Christmas season may be observed in a truly Catholic manner. Prayers, songs, recipes, observances for the many feast days from December 25 to February 2--all in the holy, happy spirit of hearts filled with Christmas grace. Return to top Taken from True Christmas Spirit by Fr. Edward J. Sutfin. Taken from True Christmas Spirit by Fr. Edward J. Sutfin. The Lord has not come but he is nearer than before, and therefore the Church lessens somewhat the austerity of this penitential season by rejoicing, a visible sign of this being the pink vestments in place of the purple. Author: Dom Prosper Gueranger, O.S.B. Return to top "We have now entered into the week which immediately precedes the birth of the Messias." Taken from Volume I of "The Liturgical Year." Author: Dom Prosper Gueranger, O.S.B. Return to top "Advent is the liturgical season that prepares us for the Lord's birth, but it is also the time of expectation for the ,definitive return of Christ", the Holy Father said in the homily he preached at the Roman parish of Our Lady of Valme on Sunday, 15 December 1996, the Third Sunday of Advent. Return to top
The Holy Father's December 1, 1996 Angelus message is a reflection on Advent and the beginning of the preparatory period for the Great Jubilee of the Year 2000. Return to top
Author: Dom Prosper Gueranger, O.S.B. Why God willed to prolong the preparation for the Incarnation during so many centuries. - I. How Divine Wisdom, in recalling and specifying, by the voice of the prophets, the first promise of a Redeemer, prepared the souls of the just of the Old Covenant for the coming of the God-Man on earth.-II. St. John Baptist, the Forerunner of the Incarnate Word, sums up and surpasses all the prophets. -III. Although we live in " the fulness of time, "the Church, under the guidance of the Holy Spirit, each year recalls the memory of these divine preparations. Threefold reason for this supernatural economy. - IV. Dispositions that we ought to have in order that Christ's coming may produce within our souls the plenitude of its fruits: purity of heart, humility, confidence and holy desires. To unite our aspirations to those of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of Jesus." Return to top An inspirational article from the 'Sonnino Notebook' of the Sonnino Mission House, uploaded by Rev. Jeffrey Keyes, C.PP.S., on the missionary meaning of Advent. |
