Catholic Prayer Club
… a Worldwide Apostolate
November – December 2007 A.D.
About Advent
By Laura Macy
Advent is the
period proceeding the Christmas season.
It begins on the Sunday nearest November 30, the feast day of St. Andrew
the Apostle, and covers four Sundays. If
Christmas Eve is a Sunday, it is counted as the fourth Sunday of Advent, with
Christmas Eve proper beginning at sundown.
Because the day changes from year to year, so does the length of each
Advent season. This year, in 2007,
Advent begins on December 2.
The word advent,
from Latin, means “the coming”. In
ancient
For centuries,
Advent has been a time of spiritual reflection as well as cheer and
anticipation.
HISTORY OF ADVENT
It is believed that
Advent has been observed since the fourth century, although, it cannot be
determined with any degree of certainty when the celebration of Advent was
first introduced into the Church. The
Gelasian Sacramentary notes five Sundays for the season; these five were
reduced to four by Pope St. Gregory VII (1073-1085). In 650 Advent was celebrated in
During the Middle
Ages, Advent became associated with preparation for the Second
Coming. In early days Advent lasted from November 11,
the feast of
Many Christians
still view Advent as a season to prepare for the Second Coming of Jesus. In the
last fifty years, however, it has also come to be thought of as a time of
anticipating the Nativity, on Christmas Day.
As Catholics, we
are waiting for the return of Jesus in glory.
Advent heightens this sense of waiting, because it marks not only our
anticipation of Jesus’ final coming, but also our remembrance of his arrival
into our world more than 2,000 years ago.
The focus of the
entire season is the celebration of the birth of Jesus the Christ in his First
Advent, and the anticipation of the return of Christ the King in his Second
Advent. Advent is far more than marking
a 2,000 year old event in history. It is
celebrating a truth about God, the revelation of God in Christ whereby all of
creation might be reconciled to God.
THE COLORS OF
ADVENT
Historically, the
primary sanctuary color of Advent is purple.
This is the color of penitence and fasting as well as the color of
royalty to welcome the Advent of the King.
Purple is still used and is also the color of suffering used during Lent
and Holy Week. This points to an
important connection between Jesus’ birth and death. The nativity, the Incarnation, cannot be
separated from the crucifixion. The
purpose of Jesus’ coming into the world, of the “Word made flesh” and dwelling
among us is to reveal God and His grace to the world through Jesus’ life and
teaching, but also through his suffering, death and resurrection. To reflect this emphasis, originally Advent
was a time of penitence and fasting, much as the Season of Lent and so shared
the color of Lent.
In the four weeks
of Advent the third Sunday came to be a time of rejoicing that the fasting was
almost over (In some traditions, it is called Gaudete Sunday, form the Latin
word for “rejoice”.) The shift from
purple of the Season to pink or rose for the third Sunday Advent candles and
vestments reflected this lessening emphasis on penitence as attention turned
more to the celebration of the season.
The third Sunday is the Sunday of Joy.
THE SPIRT OF ADVENT
Advent also
symbolizes the spiritual journey of individuals and a congregation, as they
affirm that Christ has come, that He is present in the world today, and that He
will come again in power. We live
between the times and are called to be faithful stewards of what is entrusted
to us as God’s people. So, as the church
celebrates God’s entrance into history in the Incarnation, and anticipates a
future consummation to that history for which “all creation is groaning
awaiting its redemption,” it also confesses its own responsibility as a people
commissioned to “love the Lord your God with all your heart” and to “love your
neighbor as yourself.”
Though, the
earliest spirit of Advent was that of penitence, the spirit of that expectation
from the Old Testament is better captured with a joyous sense of
expectancy. Rather than a time of
mourning and fasting, Advent is celebrated as a time of joy and happiness as we
await the coming of the King.
There will be time
enough during the rest of the journey through the Church Year to remember our
sins. It begins in Epiphany when we hear
about the brotherhood of the Kingdom, and realize our failure to affect
it. Then as we move toward and through
Lent, we realize that the coming of Jesus served more to lay bare our own sin
than it did to vindicate our righteousness.
It is only as we
experience that full cycle, beginning with joy in Advent that slowly fades into
the realization of what we have done with and to the Christ, that the awful
reality of Good Friday an have its full impact.
And in that realization, we are ready to celebrate Resurrection
Sunday. That is the journey that the disciples
took. There is value in taking the same
journey beginning with the anticipation and joy of Advent.
We gladly celebrate
the promise in Advent, yet knowing that there is a somber tone as the theme of
threat is added to the theme of promise.
Because of the dual themes of threat and promise, Advent is a time of
preparation that is marked by prayer.
The prayers of Advent are prayers of humble devotion and commitment,
prayers of submission, prayers for deliverance, prayers from those walking in
darkness that are awaiting and anticipating a great light. The prayer of Advent is: Come, O Come, Emmanuel, and ransom captive
ODDS and Ends
v
As we await His coming might there be
some service we could render to our neighbor, particularly those in need or the
sick and suffering.
v
This season is a wonderful time to
remember the importance of forgiveness and reconciliation between individuals.
The
CPC Prayer Intention for This Month
Let our awareness of His love grow within our hearts and change
the way I treat others each day
Lord hear our prayer….
Why
not start a prayer group in your home area?
Details are available on the following page……
You can help us spread the good word of our Lord…by becoming a CPC
Prayer Ministry Leader in your home area.
As a CPC Prayer
Minister (PM) you will form and lead a small Home Based Prayer Community (HBPC)
in your hometown.
It’s easy to
get started. All you need to do is invite several friends, co-workers or family
members to join your HBPC. Local communities are generally comprised of from 3
to 15 members who gather in community every other week to pray, reflect and
share our faith. The Catholic Prayer Club will provide you with all of the
materials you need to form organize and lead your ministry and Home Based
Prayer Community.
So if you feel
called to a ministry in the service of the Lord, please contact Steve Macy or
Aurora Ragaza Co-Stewards of The Catholic Prayer Club at
The
Catholic Prayer Club®On the Worldwide Web www.catholicprayerclub.org
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