ADVENT

The Advent wreath is a special symbol composed of a wreath of evergreen, in a circle, with 4 candles, 3 purple and one rose colored.

One candle is lit every night during Advent. One purple one during the first week of Advent, the second purple one nightly during the second week, and so on, until during the fourth week all four candles are lit. Some people also place a large white candle in the center to be lit on Christmas Day. In our home, we keep a bright red candle in the center of the wreath, which we light on Christmas, following midnight Mass.

Each of the four candles represents 1000 years that the people waited for the coming of the Messiah.

The purple candles are for the sorrow we feel for not loving Jesus enough. Purple is composed of two colors -- red and blue--red representing the Passion of Christ and blue representing the Blessed Virgin Mary.

The rose candle is for the joy surrounding the impending birth of Jesus. The rose color is a combination of red, symbolizing the Passion of Christ and white, symbolizing purity.
The evergreen symbolizes God is with us always and will never change.
The berries in the evergreen symbolize the drops of blood in Christ's Passion.
The circle symbolizes that God is eternal, with no beginning and no end.
The light of the candles reminds us that Jesus is the light of the world, and soon we will celebrate the day of His birth.

The Advent Candle

Like the gleaming tongue of fire
that whispers whims on a wick,
and flickers in expectant desire
the tiny flame within my heart burns brightly,
raising up gentle, unspoken pleas to You,
as I longingly await Your arrival.

You came so many years ago, Lord.
A tiny Babe born in the darkness of the night.
You lit up the world with Your fire.
In watchful hope, we wait once again,
For Love to be reborn in darkness,
For the reign of Light to return,
For the world to be set aglow,
to transform Your people into You.

~ 2004 copyright Jean M. Heimann


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