Dear Folks,
Throughout Advent, I’ll be posting the reflections of parishioners and friends of St. Luke’s Church in Worcester that are part of our e-devotions for the Advent Season. Here follows our first offering.
The season of Advent, the time of preparation for the coming of Christ at Christmas and the start of the liturgical year in our church, begins on a different date each year. This year it’s today, Nov. 29. Advent is a period beginning with the Sunday nearest to the feast of St. Andrew the Apostle (30 November) and embracing four Sundays. That means that the First Sunday of Advent can fall as early as November 27 or as late as December 3.
So Happy New Year! Our secular calendar might not agree – but we’re starting a new year in the church. We move from Year B to Year C for Sunday Eucharist and from Year 1 to Year 2 for the Daily Office.
The Synod of Mâcon in Gaul (modern day France) in A.D. 581 is our first firm witness of what we might call the season of Advent. It states that the liturgical norms for Lent be kept from November 11 to December 24. The connection made here between Advent and Lent reflects the reason why the penitential color of purple is common to both Advent and Lent. Some folks fast and do penance during Advent, for others it is simply a time to reflect upon the coming of Jesus. It’s counter cultural in this country to slow down in this season leading up to Christmas, but we shall try.
The Advent wreath is a rather modern invention. It derives to a 19th century German custom, apparently Lutheran in origin. The symbolism of the Advent wreath is beautiful. The wreath is made of various evergreens, signifying continuous life. The circle of the wreath, which has no beginning or end, symbolizes the eternity of God, the immortality of the soul, and the everlasting life found in Christ. The four candles represent the four weeks of Advent. 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. 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. The light again signifies Christ, the Light of the world.
Tags: Advent Devotion
