Sunday, November 27, 2016 First Sunday of Advent
Psalm 122, Verse 6
For
the peace of Jerusalem pray: “May those who love you prosper!
This Christmas when you make out
your gift list try to give a gift to those you love that truly helps them to
prosper!
Let us pray for the conversion of
Jerusalem and the fullness of Christ to all mankind. Let us reflect on the catechism
of the Holy Catholic Church which states:
GOD COMES TO MEET MAN
ü
50 Through an utterly free decision,
God has revealed himself and given himself to man. This he does by revealing
the mystery, his plan of loving goodness, formed from all eternity in Christ,
for the benefit of all men. God has fully revealed this plan by sending us his
beloved Son, our Lord Jesus Christ, and the Holy Spirit.
ü
51 "It pleased God, in his
goodness and wisdom, to reveal himself and to make known the mystery of his
will. His will was that men should have access to the Father, through Christ,
the Word made flesh, in the Holy Spirit, and thus become sharers in the divine
nature."
ü
52 God, who "dwells in
unapproachable light", wants to communicate his own divine life to the men
he freely created, in order to adopt them as his sons in his only-begotten Son.3 By
revealing himself God wishes to make them capable of responding to him, and of
knowing him and of loving him far beyond their own natural capacity.
ü
64 Through the prophets, God forms
his people in the hope of salvation, in the expectation of a new and
everlasting Covenant intended for all, to be written on their hearts. The
prophets proclaim a radical redemption of the People of God, purification from
all their infidelities, a salvation which will include all the
nations. Above all, the poor and humble of the Lord will bear this hope.
Such holy women as Sarah, Rebecca, Rachel, Miriam, Deborah, Hannah, Judith and
Esther kept alive the hope of Israel's salvation. The purest figure among them
is Mary.
There
will be no further Revelation
ü
66 "The Christian economy,
therefore, since it is the new and definitive Covenant, will never pass away;
and no new public revelation is to be expected before the glorious
manifestation of our Lord Jesus Christ."
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67 Yet
even if Revelation is already complete, it has not been made completely
explicit; it remains for Christian faith gradually to grasp its full
significance over the course of the centuries.
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68 By love, God has revealed himself and given himself
to man. He has thus provided the definitive, superabundant answer to the
questions that man asks himself about the meaning and purpose of his life.
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69 God has revealed himself to man by gradually
communicating his own mystery in deeds and in words.
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70 Beyond the witness to himself that God gives in
created things, he manifested himself to our first parents, spoke to them and,
after the fall, promised them salvation (cf. Gen 3:15) and
offered them his covenant.
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71 God made an everlasting covenant with Noah and with
all living beings (cf. Gen 9:16). It will remain in force as
long as the world lasts.
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72 God chose Abraham and made a covenant with him and his
descendants. By the covenant God formed his people and revealed his law to them
through Moses. Through the prophets, he prepared them to accept the salvation
destined for all humanity.
ü 73 God has
revealed himself fully by sending his own Son, in whom he has established his
covenant forever. The Son is his Father's definitive Word; so there will be no
further Revelation after him.
Advent
Wreath
Many Catholics may be surprised to learn that the
Advent wreath actually came from Lutherans living in east Germany. Yet though
this custom is relatively recent as far as tradition goes, it has rightly
earned a place of prominence among our Advent customs. A simple wreath made of
evergreen (yew or fir or laurel) is adorned with four candles equidistant from
each other. These candles may be of any color: in some European countries they
are all white, though in the U.S. they generally correspond to the liturgical
colors of the four Sundays of Advent (three purple and one pink or rose). In a
dark room, a purple candle is lit on the First Sunday of Advent, another on the
Second, the rose candle on the Third Sunday (in commemoration of Gaudete
Sunday), and the last purple candle on the Fourth Sunday. Thus, all four
candles will be lit for the week before Christmas. There is no formal ceremony
for the lighting of the wreath or for the prayers that are said around it;
there is not even an official Roman formula for blessing the wreath. Catholic
families simply pray together for a holy preparation and a holy Christmas,
concluding with a traditional Advent hymn. The symbolism of the Advent wreath
is simple but effective. The wreath, with its crown-like character, reminds us
of the King, while its circular shape betokens the "fulfillment of
time" that both Comings bring about. The candles, on the other hand,
represent the prophets whose inspired words pierced the darkness under which
mankind groaned while waiting for the Messiah; they also represent the elects'
hearts burning for Christ.
Advent Calendar
Another popular Advent
custom, also from Germany, creates a similar build-up of anticipation. Advent
calendars are colorful pieces of cardboard on which is depicted a many-windowed
house. Behind the shutters of each house is a picture or symbol that points to
the coming of Christmas. Beginning December 1, the children are allowed to open
the shutters of one window per day. Finally, on December 24, the front door of
the house is opened, showing the nativity.
Jesse Tree[2]
The
Jesse Tree dates back to the middle ages and came from Europe. Even some
ancient cathedrals have Jesse Tree designs in their stained glass windows. The
"tree" is usually a branch or sapling and is decorated with various
symbols that remind us of the purpose and promises of God from Creation to the
Birth of Jesus Christ. Jesse was the father of King David and God promised
David that his Kingdom would last forever. Two centuries after the death of
King David, God spoke through the prophet Isaiah and said: And there shall come
forth a rod out of the stem of Jesse, and a branch shall grow out of his roots:
and the spirit of the Lord shall rest upon him: the spirit of wisdom and
understanding, the spirit of counsel and fortitude, the spirit of knowledge,
and of the fear of the Lord. (Isaiah 11:1-2) Each Jesse Tree ornament
usually consists of a handmade symbol or drawing that represents one of the
major stories of the Old Testament along with a brief verse of Scripture from
that story.
Jesse Tree Ornaments
Jesse Tree Scriptures (The Symbols Are Only
Suggestions)
December 1 Creation: Gen. 1:1-31; 2:1-4 Symbols: sun, moon, stars, animals, earth
December 2 Adam and Eve: Gen. 2:7-9, 18-24 Symbols: tree, man, woman
December 3 Fall of Man: Gen. 3:1-7 and 23-24 Symbols: tree, serpent, apple with bite
December 4 Noah: Gen. 6:5-8, 13-22; 7:17, 23, 24; 8:1, 6-22 Symbols: ark, animals, dove, rainbow
December 5 Abraham: Gen. 12:1-3 Symbols: torch, sword, mountain
December 6 Isaac: Gen. 22:1-14 Symbols: bundle of wood, altar, ram in bush
December 7 Jacob: Gen. 25:1-34; 28:10-15 Symbols: kettle, ladder
December 8 Joseph: Gen. 37:23-28; 45:3-15 Symbols: bucket, well, silver coins, tunic
December 9 Moses: Ex. 2:1-10 Symbols: baby in basket, river and rushes
December 10 Samuel: 1 Sam. 3:1-18 Symbols: lamp, temple
December 11 Jesse: 1 Sam. 16:1-13 Symbols: crimson robe, shepherd's staff
December 12 David: 1 Sam. 17:12-51 Symbols: slingshot, 6-pointed star
December 13 Solomon: 1 Kings 3:5-14, 16-28 Symbols: scales of justice, temple, two babies and sword
December 14 Joseph: Matt. 1:18-25 Symbols: hammer, saw, chisel, angle
December 15 Mary: Matt. 1:18-25; Luke 1:26-38 Symbols: lily, crown of stars, pierced heart
December 16 John the Baptist: Mark 1:1-8 Symbols: shell with water, river
On December 17, the Church begins to intensify the preparation for Christmas with the use of the "O" Antiphons during the Liturgy of the Hours. The symbols for the Jesse Tree from December 17 to 23 are based on the "O" Antiphons.
December 17 Jesus is Wisdom: Sirach (or Ecclesiasticus in old Bibles) 24:2; Wisdom 8:1 Symbols: oil lamp, open book
December 18 Jesus is Lord: Ex. 3:2; 20:1 Symbols: burning bush, stone tablets
December 19 Jesus is Flower of Jesse: Isaiah 11:1-3 Symbols: flower, plant with flower
December 20 Jesus is Key of David: Isaiah 22:22 Symbols: key, broken chains
December 21 Jesus is the Radiant Dawn: Psalm 19:6-7 (in older Bibles this will be Psalm 18) Symbols: sun rising or high in sky
December 22 Jesus is King of the Gentiles: Psalm 2:7-8; Ephesians 2:14-20 Symbols: crown, scepter
December 23 Jesus is Emmanuel: Isaiah 7:14; 33:22 Symbols: tablets of stone, chalice and host
December 24 Jesus is Light of the World: John 1:1-14 Symbols: candle, flame, sun
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