"The Season of Advent restores a horizon of hope, a hope
which does not disappoint, for it is founded on God’s Word. A hope
which does not disappoint, simply because the Lord never
disappoints! He is faithful." (Pope Francis
2013)
The Advent Wreath is round having no
beginning and no end, made of evergreens, symbolising God's
everlasting love and also that those who love God will have
everlasting life with him.
On the
1st Sunday of Advent the
candles on the traditional Advent Wreath are blessed, symbolising
the light and love that Jesus brought into the world. The three
purple candles symbolise the time of preparation and the rose
candle for joy and rejoicing (Gaudete Sunday, the 3rd of
Advent).
An Advent
prayer: As we light the Advent
candles in preparation for our celebration of the Birth of Your
son, may the fire of Your love burn away the dusts of our
complacency. May we be able to see the world as it really is, with
so many of Your people living in poverty. We ask You to light anew
the flame of our passion for justice, so that the Jubilee spirit
still lives on in us. Amen
The season
of Advent celebrates two comings in the life of
Christ: one future and one past. Advent prepares our hearts for
the second coming of Christ for he will bring history to an end by
fully establishing his kingdom. Also, Advent prepares our hearts
for the celebration of Christ’s first coming, Christmas. Advent is
a season of joy for we are grateful for Christ’s coming in
the manger and Advent is a season of repentance as we know
that Christ comes again in holiness, power, and judgment. ~
Blessed Pope John Paul II (1920-2005)
On the
second Sunday of Advent, John
the Baptist’s call to prepare the way of the Lord is urgent, full
of joy and excitement as well as concern about readiness to face
the glory of God. Amid the business of our lives let us prepare for
the coming of the Lord who brings justice, wholeness and right
relationship with God.
<:))))<><
While a
novena is normally a nine-day prayer, the term is sometimes used
for any prayer that is repeated over a series of days.
The Saint Andrew Christmas Novena is often
called simply the "Christmas Novena" or the "Christmas Anticipation
Prayer", because it is prayed 15 times every day from
the Feast of Saint Andrew the Apostle (November 30) until
Christmas.
The First
Sunday of Advent is the Sunday closest to the Feast of Saint
Andrew. The novena is not actually addressed to Saint Andrew but to
God Himself, asking Him to grant our request in the honour of the
birth of His Son at Christmas. You can say the prayer all 15 times,
all at once; or divide up the recitation as necessary (perhaps five
times at each meal).
Saint Andrew Christmas Novena:
Hail and blessed be the hour and moment in which the Son of God was
born of the most pure Virgin Mary, at midnight, in Bethlehem, in
piercing cold. In that hour, vouchsafe, O my God! to hear my prayer
and grant my desires, through the merits of Our Saviour Jesus
Christ, and of His Blessed Mother. Amen.
<:))))<><
An Advent
Reflection (contributed from
Canada, December 2007)
Little Lord, what are hearts hoping for this
Advent?
It is the Season of hope and joy, peace and love. Sweet mysterious
God, coming to us in the form of a helpless baby......
Born in a stable, poor and cold, bringing to the hearts of all who
love You, the message of the crowns of grace - humility and love.
For God so loved us that He sent His only begotten Son into the
world to capture our hearts.
'Come to the Manger!', You call.
What do we see? What are You saying from the place Wisdom has
chosen for You and for us?
Animals - be kind to them for they were kinder than man to You.
Poverty and nakedness - rejected by some, forced on some, embraced
by You as a sign that You alone can change what the world has made
dirty into a source of grace, and it is You alone who can give us
our hearts desire, for only unattached to the things of the world,
surrendering the things life has inflicted upon the heart, shall we
see You clearly.
Beauty and humility - Apart from You, little King, was there any
more beauty and humility possible than the sight of the Mother You
chose, Sweet Mary, holding You close to Her heart?
Joseph - kindness and goodness, silence and strength. A teacher to
the child, and a teacher to us - if we let him.
Poor Shepherds, rich Kings........both called to show that ALL are
called. Your love makes no distinction.
Why does ours?
Straw and dirt - symbols of our heart.
Didn't many "comfortable places" exist where You could have laid
Your head? But You chose straw and dirt to say to us:
"I love You so much nothing you have ever done or nothing you will
ever do will change that love.
And I will always, always come to the heart of those who invite me,
whatever their condition, for I AM love and mercy itself.
Will you believe in such love?
Will you believe that I am capable of such love for you?
Will you lay down your pride that says your sins are bigger than my
love?
Give to me the joy of believing that I am more loving, more
merciful, more humble than all the sins of the world combined.
And if you believe this, won't you give me the joy of believing
that you are but a tiny mess and I am big enough to fix all?
Open your hearts and say to me "Lord, I believe. Help my unbelief"
and I shall come and set up my home upon the altar of your heart,
and there we shall together adore the Father, who gave life to you
that He may have it back through Me.
Today is the beginning of the rest of your life - believe in my
love for you."
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Monday of the First Week of
Advent; Reading 1, Is 2:1-5 This is what Isaiah, son of Amoz,
saw concerning Judah and Jerusalem. In days to come, The mountain
of the LORD's house shall be established as the highest mountain
and raised above the hills. All nations shall stream toward it;
many peoples shall come and say:
"Come, let us climb the LORD's mountain, to the house of the God of
Jacob, That he may instruct us in his ways, and we may walk in his
paths." For from Zion shall go forth instruction, and the word of
the LORD from Jerusalem. He shall judge between the nations, and
impose terms on many peoples. They shall beat their swords into
ploughshares and their spears into pruning hooks; One nation shall
not raise the sword against another, nor shall they train for war
again. O house of Jacob, come, let us walk in the light of the
LORD! ...[Responsorial Psalm, Ps 122:1-2, 3-4b, 4cd-5, 6-7,
8-9]
Tuesday of the First Week of
Advent; Reading 1, Is 11:1-10 On that day, A shoot shall sprout
from the stump of Jesse, and from his roots a bud shall blossom.
The Spirit of the LORD shall rest upon him: a Spirit of wisdom and
of understanding, A Spirit of counsel and of strength, a Spirit of
knowledge and of fear of the LORD, and his delight shall be the
fear of the LORD. Not by appearance shall he judge, nor by hearsay
shall he decide, But he shall judge the poor with justice, and
decide aright for the land's afflicted. He shall strike the
ruthless with the rod of his mouth, and with the breath of his lips
he shall slay the wicked. Justice shall be the band around his
waist, and faithfulness a belt upon his hips. Then the wolf shall
be a guest of the lamb, and the leopard shall lie down with the
kid; The calf and the young lion shall browse together, with a
little child to guide them. The cow and the bear shall be
neighbours, together their young shall rest; the lion shall eat hay
like the ox. The baby shall play by the cobra's den, and the child
lay his hand on the adder's lair. There shall be no harm or ruin on
all my holy mountain; for the earth shall be filled with knowledge
of the LORD, as water covers the sea. On that day, The root of
Jesse, set up as a signal for the nations, The Gentiles shall seek
out, for his dwelling shall be glorious. ... [Responsorial Psalm,
Ps 72:1-2, 7-8, 12-13, 17]
Friday of the First Week of
Advent (First Friday - 2011) Reading 1, Is 29:17-24 Thus says
the Lord GOD: But a very little while, and Lebanon shall be changed
into an orchard, and the orchard be regarded as a forest! On that
day the deaf shall hear the words of a book; And out of gloom and
darkness, the eyes of the blind shall see. The lowly will ever find
joy in the LORD, and the poor rejoice in the Holy One of Israel.
For the tyrant will be no more and the arrogant will have gone; All
who are alert to do evil will be cut off, those whose mere word
condemns a man, Who ensnare his defender at the gate, and leave the
just man with an empty claim. Therefore thus says the LORD, the God
of the house of Jacob, who redeemed Abraham: Now Jacob shall have
nothing to be ashamed of, nor shall his face grow pale. When his
children see the work of my hands in his midst, They shall keep my
name holy; they shall reverence the Holy One of Jacob, and be in
awe of the God of Israel. Those who err in spirit shall acquire
understanding, and those who find fault shall receive instruction.
[Responsorial Psalm, Ps 27:1, 4, 13-14]
Saturday December 3, 2011;
Memorial of Saint Francis Xavier, priest (First Saturday) Reading
1, Is 30:19-21, 23-26 Thus says the Lord GOD, the Holy One of
Israel: O people of Zion, who dwell in Jerusalem, no more will you
weep; He will be gracious to you when you cry out, as soon as he
hears he will answer you. The Lord will give you the bread you need
and the water for which you thirst. No longer will your Teacher
hide himself, but with your own eyes you shall see your Teacher,
While from behind, a voice shall sound in your ears: "This is the
way; walk in it," when you would turn to the right or to the left.
He will give rain for the seed that you sow in the ground, And the
wheat that the soil produces will be rich and abundant. On that day
your flock will be given pasture and the lamb will graze in
spacious meadows; The oxen and the asses that till the ground will
eat silage tossed to them with shovel and pitchfork. Upon every
high mountain and lofty hill there will be streams of running
water. On the day of the great slaughter, when the towers fall, The
light of the moon will be like that of the sun and the light of the
sun will be seven times greater like the light of seven days. On
the day the LORD binds up the wounds of his people, he will heal
the bruises left by his blows. [Responsorial Psalm, Ps 147:1-2,
3-4, 5-6]
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The Advent ‘O’
Antiphons: Titles of our Lord Jesus
17th O
Sapientia - O Wisdom; 18th O Adonai - O Lord of Might; 19th O Radix
Jesse - O Root of Jesse; 20th O Clavis David - O Key of
David; 21st O Oriens - O Morning Star; 22nd O Rex Gentium - O
King of the Gentiles; 23rd O Emmanuel - O
Emmanuel
[ I
love the time of the ‘O’Antiphons’, the last days of Advent, from
the 17th- 22nd. The English titles are O Wisdom, O Lord of Might, O
Root of Jesse, O Key of David, O Morning Star, O King of the
Nations, O Emmanuel, (which means God is with us.) They are used as
antiphons on the Magnificat on those evenings. Titles of our Lord.
It was wonderful to see them carved into the pillars of St Joseph’s
Chapel in the caves next to the Grotto of the Nativity in
Bethlehem. (Fr. Philip - 2012) ]
<:))))<><
Our Lady
(Medjugorje), past messages:- December 13, 1984 "Dear
children! You know that the season of joy is getting closer, but
without love you will achieve nothing. So first of all, begin to
love your own family, everyone in the parish, and then you'll be
able to love and accept all who are coming over here. Now let these
seven days be a week when you need to learn to love. Thank you for
having responded to my call."
November 25, 1996 "Dear
children! Today, again, I invite you to pray, so that through
prayer, fasting and small sacrifices you may prepare yourselves for
the coming of Jesus. May this time, little children, be a time of
grace for you. Use every moment and do good, for only in this way
will you feel the birth of Jesus in your hearts. If with your life
you give an example and become a sign of God's love, joy will
prevail in the hearts of men. Thank you for having responded to my
call."
December 02, 2009 "Dear
children, At this time of preparation and joyful expectation I, as
a mother, desire to point you to what is the most important, to
your soul. Can my Son be born in it? Is it cleansed by love from
lies, arrogance, hatred and malice? Above all else does your soul
love God as your Father and does it love your fellow brother in
Christ? I am pointing you to the way which will raise your soul to
a complete union with my Son. I desire for my Son to be born in
you. What a joy that would be for me as mother. Thank
you."
Medjugorje message to the world, through visionary
Marija, on November 25th 2012 “Dear children! In this time
of grace, I call all of you to renew prayer. Open yourselves to
Holy Confession so that each of you may accept my call with the
whole heart. I am with you and I protect you from the ruin of sin,
but you must open yourselves to the way of conversion and holiness,
that your heart may burn out of love for God. Give Him time and He
will give Himself to you and thus, in the will of God you will
discover the love and the joy of living. Thank you for having
responded to my call.”
LINKS (external links
open a new window/tab)
-
listen to
helpful Advent homilies from our library
-
Watch Bishop Robert Barron speaking
on: The Spirituality
of Advent and Advent
God's Holy Mountain - (Friends, as we begin the Advent season,
here are some reflections on the second chapter of the prophet
Isaiah. The Church proposes his great image of God’s holy mountain
as a spiritual challenge and point of meditation.)
-
Listen to our Bishop
Mark O'Toole's Advent 2015 reflection (given on the day Pope
Francis opened the Holy Door in St Peter's to inaugurate the
Jubilee of Mercy 2015-16.) Bishop Mark recalls when, as a young
priest, he was chaplain to a community of enclosed religious nuns.
An elderly sister turned to him one day after he had heard her
confession and said: "Thank you for giving me the power of
Christ".
-
2009/10/11 archive: Bishop
Christopher's Reflections for Advent & Christmastide. A series
of reflections from the first Sunday of Advent to the Baptism of
Jesus. Read or download by clicking these links: 2009 pdf also year C
(Luke) as current 2012-13 |
2010 pdf | 2011 pdf
-
The
Season of Advent in the Catholic Church > Why Do Priests
Wear Purple During Advent? > What Is Gaudete Sunday? > and
more - on about.com
-
Awaiting the Christ Child.
An Advent meditation that encourages us to await the coming of
Christ with expectation and joyful anticipation -
YouTube
-
"The Virgin Mary Perfectly
Incarnates the Spirit of Advent" - this spirit is one of listening to
God, of profound desire to do his will, of joyous service to our
neighbour. Letting ourselves be guided by her, so that the God who
comes does not find us closed and distracted, but can, in each one
of us, extend a part of his kingdom of love, of justice and of
peace." - read Pope Benedict's address on 2nd December
2012
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