The Frist Week of Advent
The Advent Season is the first season on the Liturgical calendar. In Latin, advent means to come to, and it is the season leading up to Christmas. It begins with the fourth Sunday before Christmas and ends on Christmas Eve during the Vigil Mass.
It is tradition that during the Advent Season, we light candles marking the weeks leading to Christmas Day. There are four candles, three purple and one pink. We arrange these candles in a wreath, and starting on the first Sunday of Advent, we light a candle. We light one additional candle every Sunday until all four candles in the wreath are lit.
What do the candles represent
The first, second, and fourth candles are purple, reflecting the colour of the Liturgical Season of Advent. Purple represents penance, preparation, and reflection. Fittingly, Advent and Lent share this colour as a focal point, as they are both times to reflect on the coming of Jesus.
During the third week of Advent, we break from the purple theme and use pink; you may also see your priest wearing pink vestments.
The four candles represent hope, peace, joy, and love, following that order as the weeks progress.
The first candle
Also called the Prophesy Candle, the first candle in the wreath draws to mind the Old Testament prophecies declaring the coming of Jesus, reflecting the theme of hope this first week of Advent Season.
The book of Isaiah says, a child will be born called Immanuel, meaning God with us. God being with us, strengthening us is beyond hope. We have certainty that if we walk with Him, He will walk with us and vouch for us hereafter.
the last things
In the Season of Advent, we ponder the Four Last Things, focusing on one per week. This week, meditate on death, the first of the four last things. In death, we end our Earthly life and enter into spiritual life. The soul is immortal, unlike our bodies in the fallen world. So, we will be awaiting the Second Coming, anticipating the union of our purified soul (through purgatory) and our glorified resurrected body. Death is an uncomfortable state, being separated from friends and family, but also being separated from our bodies. We were created body and soul, so when we are made new at the second coming, we will be whole again.
Anticipating death, we need to do what we can to prepare for it. We cannot justify ourselves through good deeds or being a good person. We need to reconcile ourselves with God by attending Mass on Sunday and the Holy Days of Obligation, and most importantly, going to confession. We need to prepare ourselves and, as mothers, pray for our children and raise them, understanding the necessity of Reconciliation for the redemption ot our souls. That is our purpose on Earth. We must think of what is ahead; this is what we ponder during the first week of Advent.
It was the first real snowfall of the season on Thursday, and it has been coming down steadily since then. I am excited to begin the Advent season. Now that my oldest is starting to understand more, we will be getting into some activities and devotions.
One devotion that I have been waiting to start is what I have seen called Bed for Baby Jesus, where you prepare a manger and a bowl with thin strips of paper acting as straw. With every good deed, she will add a piece of paper until Christmas Day, and we will see how well she's prepared a space for Jesus. I think I will join in too. I could use some accountability myself. We will be using the manger from our nativity scene, but if your set is breakable or small, you may want to opt for a homemade alternative. You could prepare one out of popsicle sticks or an old tissue box, which would work too.
My family is setting up the Christmas tree this week and placing the star on top until Christmas Eve night, when we put the ornaments and turn on the lights.
On Saturday, the 6th, we will be celebrating the feast of St. Nicholas by having the girls leave their shoes to be filled with gold coins… well, chocolate coins.