THE STORY OF THE ADVENT WREATH

Each season in the liturgical year comes with its own rituals. Today is the First Sunday of Advent. We begin the Advent Season by lighting our Advent wreath. During the Advent season, wreathes adorn church sanctuaries and family dining rooms or living rooms. People gather around the Advent wreath to pray and take a turn lighting the candles on the wreath.

The Advent wreath is full of symbolism about Christ and his coming at Christmas. The wreath is made of evergreen boughs, reminding us that the life of grace doesn’t falter with the changing seasons. It always remains fresh and new. Similarly, a circular wreath reminds us of the eternal, never[1]ending nature of God’s love.

The Candles remind us that Christ is the light of the world, the One who “shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.” We use four candles to represent each week of Advent. Traditionally they come in the liturgical colors of the season. Purple has historically represented penance and sacrifice. On the third Sunday of Advent, we light a Rose color candle. This is Gaudete Sunday. Gaudete means “rejoice” in Latin. On the third Sunday of Advent, we are roughly halfway through the season. The church chooses the midpoint to remind us to celebrate and enjoy our anticipation of Christmas.

This is a holy season of prayer to help us focus on how Christ’s coming into the world has impacted our lives. One of the ways to help us prepare for Christmas is to receive the Sacrament of Penance by which God renews us. Our Penance Service this Advent will be held Wednesday, December 14th at 3:30PM and at St. Michael’s at 6:30PM. Please join our family of parishes for this celebration of pardon and peace.