Parishable Items

What is an “advent?”

An “advent” is the coming of something extremely important. The word “advent” is from the Latin word for “arrival.”

What is the Advent season for?

We are preparing for Jesus Christ’s coming at Christmas and at this world’s end.

How many years ago was Jesus born?

The first Christmas was about 2,015 years ago. It is fitting that his birth is the basis for our calendar because Jesus Christ is the center of human history.

When will Jesus come again in glory?

We do not know precisely, so we are to be always ready and prepared for Him.

Why are Isaiah and John the Baptist so prominent in Advent’s Sunday readings?

These two prophets preached about the Jewish Messiah’s coming and about the Kingdom of God He would establish.

What does purple symbolize for Advent?

Purple was associated with royalty in the ancient world. It is a color for Advent since Jesus is coming to us as the King of Kings.

Why does Advent have a wreath with four candles?

The circle of evergreen branches symbolizes the eternal, everlasting life which Jesus comes to bring to all four-corners of the earth. The candles are lit to mark the four Sundays of Advent preceding Christmas.

Why is one of the candles different?

One candle is rose-colored to mark the 3^rd  Sunday of Advent, which we call “Gaudete Sunday.”

What’s special about Gaudete Sunday?

Reaching this Sunday means that we have passed the halfway-point on our Advent journey to Christmas. “Gaudete” means “rejoice” in Latin.

This entry was posted on December 4, 2015 at 9:52 am and is filed under Reflection. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.