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Advent 2015 – I. SUNDAY OF ADVENT
The coming of the Son of Man
Prayer for the first week of Advent – St. Francis Prayer
Lord, make me an instrument of thy peace.
Where there is hatred, let me sow love;
Where there is injury, pardon;
Where there is doubt, faith;
Where there is despair, hope;
Where there is darkness, light;
Where there is sadness, joy.
O Divine Master,
Grant that I may not so much seek
To be consoled as to console;
To be understood, as to understand;
To be loved, as to love.
For it is in giving that we receive;
It is in pardoning, that we are pardoned;
It is in dying that we are born to eternal life.
First Advent Sunday Reading:
Text (Lk 21,25-28.34-36; see Mt. 24:29-31; Mk. 13:24-27)
Luke 21:25 ¶ ‘There will be signs in the sun and moon and stars; on earth nations in agony, bewildered by the turmoil of the ocean and its waves; Luke 21:26 men fainting away with terror and fear at what menaces the world, for the powers of heaven will be shaken.
Luke 21:27 And then they will see the Son of man coming in a cloud with power and great glory.
Luke 21:28 When these things begin to take place, stand erect, hold your heads high, because your liberation is near at hand.’
Luke 21:34 ¶ ‘Watch yourselves, or your hearts will be coarsened by debauchery and drunkenness and the cares of life, and that day will come upon you unexpectedly,
Luke 21:35 like a trap. For it will come down on all those living on the face of the earth.
Luke 21:36 Stay awake, praying at all times for the strength to survive all that is going to happen, and to hold your ground before the Son of man.’
Commentary
The coming of the Son of Man. The second stage in the coming of the end is the cosmic disorder prophesied in the Old Testament. Then the Son of Man will come, fulfilling the prophecy in Dn. 7:13-14, where his coming is associated with the day of judgment and the final, visible establishment of God’s rule. Because the disasters ahead are the prelude to this divine act of release, the disciples should be filled with hope, in contrast to the fear which will characterize everybody else.
21:34-36 Preparation for the end. In any case, the vital thing is not to indulge in speculation or to give way to despair. Since the judgment day will mean disaster for people who have yielded to temptation and sin, the disciples must pray for strength to remain faithful to the end.
Activity
Advent Quiz
1. What is the longest and shortest number of days that Advent can be? Remember that there always needs to be four Sundays, not counting Christmas Day.
2. Read the story of the birth of Jesus and make a note of anything or any word that you don’t understand. Also make a list of questions you might have about the story. Keep them until Christmas and then see if you understand then. See Luke 2:1-20
3. Look up ‘christian season advent’ in Google, what interesting facts can you find out about the season?
4. What can you find out about mid-winter celebrations in your country before the coming of Christianity?
Advent wreath: how to make it and what is its meaning
Customarily the Advent Wreath is made out of a circle of evergreen branches into which are inserted four candles. According to tradition, three of the candles are purple and the fourth is pink. However, four purple or white candles may also be used.
The candles represent the four weeks of Advent and the number of candles lit each week corresponds to the number of that week of Advent. The pink candle is lit on the Third Sunday of Advent, also known as Gaudete Sunday.
If the Advent Wreath is to be used in church, it should be big enough to be visible to the congregation. It may be suspended from the ceiling or placed on a stand. If it is placed in the body of the church, it should not interfere with the celebration of the liturgy, nor should it obscure the altar, lectern, or chair.
When the Advent Wreath is used in church, on the Second and succeeding Sundays of Advent, the candles are lit either before Mass begins or immediately before the opening prayer; no additional rites or prayers are used.
When the blessing of the Advent Wreath is celebrated in the home, it is appropriate that it be blessed by a parent or another member of the family; the shorter rite may appropriately be used for this purpose.
When the Advent Wreath is used in the home, the opening prayer of the Sunday Mass is recited when the candles are lit. The lighting of the candles may be preceded or followed by an Advent hymn and a Scripture reading. The lighting of the Advent Wreath may be included as a part of the evening meal.
The Third Sunday of Advent is as a splash of colour in the restrained atmosphere of Advent (Gaudete Sunday).
The use of the Advent Wreath is a traditional practice which has found its place in the Church as well as in the home. The blessing of an Advent Wreath takes place on the First Sunday of Advent or on the evening before the First Sunday of Advent. The blessing may be celebrated during Mass, a celebration of the word of God, or Evening Prayer.
The lighting of candles on an Advent wreath has become a common practice to express our expectation of the Lord’s coming. The Advent Wreath may be blessed by a priest, deacon, or a lay minister.
Activity for children
Below is a picture of advent wreath, we can print it out and let children colour the wearth, then they can draw and put accesories on it. Every Sunday children can color one candle, but only if they did at least one good deed in a previous week. Then we sit down and talk about it.