Advent Joy DECEMBER 2015
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BEGINNING YEAR C
5 FAST FACTS ABOUT ADVENT PAGE 6 By Marilyn Rodrigues
JOURNEY TO BETHLEHEM AND MORE...
EASY WAYS TO ADVENT JOY FOR THE KIDS PAGE 16 By Francine & Kiara Pirola
TIPS FOR MAKING ADVENT EXTRA SPECIAL
ACTS OF MERCY, ACTS OF LOVE PAGE 24 By Marilyn Rodrigues
SEASONAL NOTES
O ANTIPHON PAGE 26
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FROM THE EDITOR God has brought us again to this beautiful Advent season of waiting and preparing for Christ to come into the world and into our hearts. You are so good in this busy time of year to take time for some spiritual reading and planning for Christmas! Thank you for your support of CathFamily this year; it has been sent out to all of our readers with much love. Please let anyone know about it who you think would find it useful.
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THIS MONTH Dec 2015 Thur 3 St Francis Xavier Fri 4
St John Damascene
Sun 6
Advent 2 | St Nicholas
Mon 7 St Ambrose Tue 8
Immaculate Conception
Wed 9 St Juan Diego Fri 11 St Damasus 1 Sat 12 Our Lady of Guadalupe Sun 13 Advent 3 | St Lucy Mon 14 St John of the Cross Sun 20 Advent 4 Mon 21 St Peter Canisius Wed 23 St John of Kanty Fri 25
Nativity of the Lord - Merry Christmas!
Sat 26 St Stephen Sun 27 Holy Family | St John Mon 28 Holy Innocents Tue 29 St Thomas Becket Thu 31 St Sylvester I
Together, home by home and family by family, we are the salt and light of the world! May the Lord’s abundant blessings be on you and your family. The whole CathFamily team - producers, editor and designers - pray that you have an enjoyable Advent and a very happy and holy Christmas. Marilyn Rodrigues Editor
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1. When does Advent begin and end? 2. What is it for? 3. Has it always been celebrated by Catholics? 4. Are there special Advent prayers? 5. What are the colours of advent?
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Advent begins four Sundays before Christmas and ends on Christmas Eve. The first Sunday of Advent is the start of each new Church year.
WEEK 1
WEEK 2
WEEK 3
WEEK 4
CHRISTMAS
Waiting for the Shepherd
Waiting for Forgiveness
Waiting with Joy
Waiting for the Son
Our Waiting is Over!
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During this time we connect with the longing and expectant waiting of the Jewish people as they prepared for the advent of the Messiah. We also look forward with similar longing and expectancy to the second advent of Christ that we have been promised. The Catechism points out both meanings “When the Church celebrates the liturgy of Advent each year, she makes present this ancient expectancy of the Messiah, for by sharing in the long preparation for the Saviour’s first coming, the faithful renew their ardent desire for His second coming.” (No. 524).
What is it for?
The word ‘Advent’ comes from the Latin word adventus, which means ‘coming’ or ‘visit’.
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Has it always been celebrated by Catholics?
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The Advent tradition has evolved in the life of the Church. There was an early form in Europe, as a period of preparation for the Feast of the Epiphany when converts were traditionally baptised. Like Lent, it had an emphasis on prayer and fasting. A similar practice spread to England. In Rome, the Advent preparation seems to have appeared in the sixth century, judging from homilies by Pope St Gregory the Great. Over time it became more closely linked to Christmas. At one stage there were five Advent Sundays until Pope Gregory VII (pope from 1073-1088) reduced the number to four.
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Are there special Adven There are many, but perhaps the most special ones are in The Divine Office, which is part of the official liturgy of the Church. The Office contains particular psalms and prayers for each day. In the last week of Advent there are special antiphons before and after each of the psalms, known as the “O” antiphons because they all begin with “O”. They are very beautiful calls for Jesus to come into the world, filled with urgent longing and love of the Christ. As we pray them ourselves they express our longing for Jesus to enter our hearts and world today and again in the fullness of time. Eg. The last O Antiphon said on December 23 is:
O Emmanuel, you are our king and judge, the One whom the peoples await and their Saviour. O come and save us, Lord, our God. There are lots of Advent prayers you can use and adapt for the home or school. Check out our seasonal notes for our child-friendly Advent prayer service.
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nt prayers?
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Advent colours are purple and rose. At Mass the priest’s vestments, altar cloths, and Advent candles are purple, except for the third Sunday of the season, Gaudete Sunday, when the colour is rose, for joy. There is also a white candle for Christmas Day itself, usually in the middle of the Advent wreath.
What are the colours of advent? Rose Gaudete Sunday, when the colour is pink, for joy.
Priest’s vestments, altar cloths, and Advent candles
Purple 14 | December 2015
Guadete Sunday | Advent 3 While the season is about waiting and preparing ourselves spiritually with prayer and deeds of kindness and mercy, we also have a pre-emptive day of joy; Guadete (Latin for ‘joy’) Sunday is the third Sunday in Advent. We know that our waiting is nearly over, that Christ did come into the world and we will celebrate his birthday soon.
Sources: The Liturgical Season of Advent, visit here
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Advent Joy For the Kids
Here are some simple ways to bring Advent joy to children while helping them to learn about, and personalise, some of our rich faith traditions. By Francine & Kiara Pirola
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1. Advent Calendars There are some beautiful religious calendars that can be purchased through Christian book shops – avoid the commercialised chocolate versions that feature toys and reindeers. 2015 December | 17
2. Mary, Mary‌ If any season belongs to Mary, it is surely Advent. Go to prayer with Mary and ask her to give you her sense of conviction and eager anticipation of Jesus’ renewed presence in the world.
December 8 marks the feast of her conception and December 12 is the feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe.
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3. Journey to Bethlehem Using the pieces of your family Nativity scene, set up the stable in your prayer space. Keep Jesus hidden. Place Mary, Joseph and the donkey in a remote location. Each day, the children move them closer to their final destination. Shepherds, sheep, and angels can all journey to Bethlehem, arriving at the stable on Christmas day when Jesus also appears. The Wise Men take longer, arriving on the Feast of the Epiphany.
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4. Advent Candle Using a tall candle marked with 24 lines to indicate the 24 days of December leading up to Christmas, light the candle each day for your family prayers. As the candle gets shorter, children can count the number of days left to Christmas by the number of lines visible on the candle.
25 24 23 22 21 20 19 18 17 16 15 14 13 12 11 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 Jesus birthday
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5. The Jesse Tree Each day of Advent, place a new ornament symbolising one of the Old Testament ancestors of Jesus (for example, Adam and Eve, Abraham, Moses, Isaiah etc). Check out CathFamily’s Jesse Tree, complete with instructions, prayers and downloadable template.
There are many ways to create a Jesse Tree feature. See CathFamily.org for ideas.
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Craft:
Advent Wreath
Make your own natural Advent wreath. CLICK HERE
This nature wreath needs fresh leaves and flowers daily
6. Advent Wreath The rich symbolism of an Advent Wreath connects families and churches to the sense of anticipation and joy of the season. CathFamily has some great options for your family to get involved with this ancient tradition.
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Year of Mercy: Dec 8, 2015 - Nov 20, 2016
Another special theme of Advent, along with waiting, is mercy. Advent is an intense time of waiting for God the Father’s great act of mercy – sending the promised Saviour into the world. As Catholics, we know that when he came, after he rose from death, he also instituted the Sacrament of mercy, Reconciliation. So as well as being a time of waiting and expectant joy, it is also a time of receiving and giving God’s ever-generous mercy. Receiving it through the Sacrament of Reconciliation and Confession, and giving it through acts of almsgiving and other kindnesses to others.
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One way to remember these two aspects of mercy through Advent is to set up a nativity crib (without the baby Jesus) and keep a basket of straw or cotton balls nearby. Each time someone does a thoughtful or generous act, spends extra time in prayer or attends an extra Mass, they can add one straw or cotton ball to the crib. Hopefully Jesus will have a super-comfy manger to rest in by Christmas morning!
Each time you do a thoughtful or generous act, add one straw or cotton ball to the crib.... by christmas Jesus will have a super-comfy manger !
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SEASONAL NOTES
december
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O my goodness! it’s christmas
next week!?!
For the seven days just before Christmas the Divine Office (daily prayer book of the Church) resounds with joyful praise known as the ‘O’ Antiphons.
For those of us who somehow manage to get almost to the end of Advent without having done any of the spiritual preparation we had planned - here’s a way to make the last week ‘O’ so sweet.
The O antiphons December 17
December 19
O Wisdom, O holy Word of God, you govern all creation with your strong yet tender care. Come and show your people the way to salvation
O Flower of Jesse’s stem, you have been raised up as a sign for all peoples; kings stand silent in your presence; the nations bow down in worship before you. Come, let nothing keep you from coming to our aid.
December 18 O Sacred Lord of ancient Israel, who showed yourself to Moses in the burning bush, who gave him the holy law on Sinai mountain: come, stretch out your mighty hand to set us free.
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December 20 O Key of David and sceptre of the house of Israel; you open and no one can shut, you shut and no one can open; come and lead the prisoners from the prison house, those who dwell in darkness and the shadow of death.
The O Antiphon DECodeD
CODE... Based on the prophecies of Isaiah, each antiphon is a name given to Christ 17: O Sapientia = Oh Wisdom 18: O Adonai = Oh Lord of Ancient Israel
21: O Oriens = Oh Radient Dawn 22: O Rex Gentium = Oh King of all Peoples 23: O Emmanuel = Oh God with Us
Flower of Je s
stem, come! L s ’ se
O
O Radiant Dawn, splendor of eternal light, sun of justice: come, shine on those who dwell in darkness and the shadow of death.
20: O Clavis David = Oh Key of David
g keep y o u othin fr et n
December 21
19: O Radix Jesse = Oh Flower of Jesse
helping us om
Older children may find intriguing the fact that there is a code in the Church’s ‘O’ Antiphons, the short phrases said during Evening Prayer of the Church in the last week before Christmas.
December 22 O King of all the nations, the only joy of every human heart; O Keystone of the mighty arch of man, come and save the creature you fashioned from the dust. December 23 O Emmanuel, king and lawgiver, desire of the nations, Saviour of all people, come and set us free, Lord our God. (Taken from divineoffice.org)
Craft:
O Antiphon
Download our printable CLICK HERE
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O Antiphon Bauble leMaterials: • O Antiphon Bauble template (download below) • Colouring pencils, pens, glitter, sequins etc. • String or ribbon for hanging • Hole punch • Scissors
CRAFT: O Antiphon Bauble
Print out the template and decorate the baubles, cut them out, punch a hole in the top and hang them on the Christmas tree or place them in your prayer or sacred space. CLICK HERE 30 | December 2015
O Antiphon Prayer Service Beginning on December 17, take the O Antiphon Bauble for that day and place it in the sacred space. Light a candle & make the Sign of the Cross.
Leader: Lord Jesus, help us to prepare our hearts for your coming. You are our heavenly Father’s best gift to us. Fill us with your Holy Spirit so we may celebrate your birthday with love and joy. All: Amen Select a child or another adult to read the prayer on the bauble, and hang it onto the Christmas tree, or a garland. Pray one Our Father, Hail Mary, and Glory Be.
Leader: Mary, Queen of Heaven, we thank you for saying ‘yes’ to being the mother of Jesus. Make the Sign of the Cross.
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We wish you a Blessed Advent Merry Christmastide and a Happy New Year!
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Advent & Christmastide INSPIRATION
Christmas Consumers
Catholic families the world over have creatively approached their Christmas traditions to help raise their children in the true spirit of the event...
CLICK HERE CRAFT
Gingerbread Nativity
Give the Christmas tradition of a gingerbread house a more spiritual twist by making a ginger bread nativity instead!
CLICK HERE PRAYER
St Nic Candy Cane Blessing
Have you ever noticed that candy canes kind of look like Bishop’s Crosiers? This little family prayer ritual is a perfect way to celebrate St Nicholas’ feast day on the 6th of December.
CLICK HERE
For more ideas and inspiration visit www.CathFamily.org 2015 December | 33