The History Of...
The Advent wreath is part of our long-standing Catholic tradition. However, the actual origins are uncertain. There is evidence of pre-Christian Germanic peoples using wreathes with lit candles during the cold and dark December days, as a sign of hope in the future warm and extended-sunlight days of Spring.
In Scandinavia during Winter, lighted candles were placed around a wheel, and prayers were offered to the god of light to turn “the wheel of the earth” back toward the sun to lengthen the days and restore warmth. By the Middle Ages, the Christians adapted this tradition and used Advent wreathes as part of their spiritual preparation for Christmas. After all, Christ is “the Light that came into the world” to dispel the darkness of sin and to radiate the truth and love of God (cf. John 3:1921). By 1600, both Catholics and Lutherans had more formal practices surrounding the Advent wreath. The symbolism of the Advent wreath is beautiful. The wreath is made of various evergreens, signifying continuous life. Even these evergreens have a traditional meaning which can be adapted to our faith: The laurel signifies victory over persecution and suffering; pine, holly, and yew, immortality; and cedar, strength and healing. Holly also has a special Christian symbolism: The prickly leaves remind us of the crown of thorns, and one English legend tells of how the cross was made of holly. The circle of the wreath, which has no beginning or end, symbolizes the eternity of God, the immortality of the soul, and the everlasting life found in Christ. Any pine cones, nuts, or
seedpods used to decorate the wreath also symbolize life and resurrection. All together, the wreath of evergreens depicts the immortality of our soul and the new, everlasting life promised to us through Christ, the eternal Word of the Father, who entered our world becoming true man and who was victorious over sin and death through His own passion, death, and resurrection. The four candles represent the four weeks of Advent. A tradition is that each week represents one thousand years, to sum to the 4,000 years from Adam and Eve until the Birth of the Saviour. Three candles are purple and one is rose. The purple candles in particular symbolize the prayer, penance, and preparatory sacrifices and good works undertaken at this time. The rose candle is lit on the third Sunday, Gaudete Sunday, when the priest also wears rose vestments at Mass; Gaudete Sunday is the Sunday of rejoicing, because the faithful have arrived at the midpoint of Advent, when their preparation is now half over and they are close to Christmas. The progressive lighting of the candles symbolizes the expectation and hope surrounding our Lord’s first coming into the world and the anticipation of His second coming to judge the living and the dead. The light again signifies
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We wish you a joyful Christmas
The Advent Wreath Christ, the Light of the world. Some modern day adaptations include a white candle placed in the middle of the wreath, which represents Christ and is lit on Christmas Eve. Another tradition is to replace the three purple and one rose candles with four white candles, which will be lit throughout Christmas season. In family practice, the Advent wreath is most appropriately lit at dinner time after the blessing of the food. A traditional prayer service using the Advent wreath proceeds as follows: On the First Sunday of Advent, the father of the family blesses the wreath, praying: “O God, by whose word all things are sanctified, pour forth Thy blessing upon this wreath, and grant that we who use it may prepare our hearts for the coming of Christ and may receive from Thee abundant graces. Who livest and reignest forever. Amen.” He then continues for each of the days of the first week of Advent, “O Lord, stir up Thy might, we beg thee, and come,
that by Thy protection we may deserve to be rescued from the threatening dangers of our sins and saved by Thy deliverance. Who livest and reignest forever. Amen.” The youngest child then lights one purple candle. During the second week of Advent, the father prays: “O Lord, stir up our hearts that we may prepare for Thy only begotten Son, that through His coming we may be made worthy to serve Thee with pure minds. Who livest and reignest forever. Amen.” The oldest child then lights the purple candle from the first week plus one more purple candle. During the third week of Advent, the father prays: “O Lord, we beg Thee, incline Thy ear to our prayers and enlighten the darkness of our minds by the grace of Thy visitation. Who livest and reignest forever. Amen.” The mother then lights the two previously lit purple candles plus the rose candle. Finally, the father prays during
the fourth week of Advent, “O Lord, stir up Thy power, we pray Thee, and come; and with great might help us, that with the help of Thy grace, Thy merciful forgiveness may hasten what our sins impede. Who livest and reignest forever. Amen.” The father then lights all of the candles of the wreath.
Peace and Joy to all Mankind
Since Advent is a time to stir-up our faith in the Lord, the wreath and its prayers provide us a way to augment this special preparation for Christmas. Moreover, this good tradition helps us to remain vigilant in our homes and not lose sight of the true meaning of Christmas.
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Gibraltar & UK
Pilgrimage to Assisi
We left Gibraltar in the very early hours of the morning on Saturday 29th November and flew from Seville to Rome, where we joined the UK, OFS members and travelled to Geccio in the beautiful valley of Rieti, to the sanctuary where St. Francis set up the first live crib. About 800 years ago people began to come in procession, carrying their torches and candles to contemplate the first reenactment of the nativity
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scene. The idea of re-creating a manger scene soon spread throughout Catholic Europe. Thomas of Celano, recalls that Francis stood before the manger, overwhelmed with love and filled with a wonderful happiness. The following morning when we were getting ready for Mass we heard a rumbling and suddenly realised it was an earthquake!! In fact we were only about 7 to 8 kilometres
from the epicentre!! Thank God we were all safe and there was no damage where we were staying but we prayed very especially for those who had been affected in any way. Later we found out that it had been a strong earthquake!! On arrival in Assisi we found that they had also felt the earthquake there and we could not visit the Portiuncula as they were checking out whether there were any damages. - The
Portiuncula is situated now inside the Basilica of Saint Mary of the Angels around 5km from Assisi. It was restored by Saint Francis and it was here that he founded the Order of the Friars Minor 1209, “establishing here his home, because of his reverence for the angels, and of his great love of the Mother of Christ�. (St. Bonaventure) This was the centre of the Franciscan Order where he brought together all the Friars for the Chapter every year to renew their dedication to the Gospel Life. The Chapter of Mats in 1221 was attended by more than 5000 friars. When Francis knew he was dying, he requested to be brought to the Portiuncula to end his earthly life. Because of the earthquake
We wish you a joyful Christmas
our itinerary was changed, and we could not visit Foligno but we did walk around Assisi and the Lord blessed us with beautiful weather. On November 1st, after breakfast, we had morning prayer and the Eucharist in the Carceri, a Hermitage on the slope of Monte Subasio just outside the walls of Assisi. Here St. Francis, at times, lived alone in a cave, praying fervently and doing penance. The word
Carceri is from the Latin carceres and means “isolated places”. Francis dedicated himself to a life of preaching and missions, but throughout his life he would frequently withdraw to the Carceri to pray and contemplate. As you gaze at the surrounding scenery, the breathtaking views of Mount Subasio, one cannot but be led to contemplate the beauty of creation and the goodness of the Creator. That
afternoon we finally got to visit the Portiuncula! The next day we visited the Mount of La Verna. I am always impressed by the peaceful quiet of the beauty of this Sanctuary. I think it’s a very special place that was donated to St. Francis in 1213 by Count Orlando Chiusi of La Verna. A hermitage was founded there becoming one of the favourite places for Francis and his brothers to retire for prayer and contemplation.
Peace and Joy to all Mankind
Francis’ last stay at La Verna was in 1224, two years before his death, when he was already tired and ill. During this time, while in intense prayer, he had a vision and received the stigmata. When we arrived it was really cold and foggy but we had a beautiful Mass. In the homily Fr. Jesmond, the friar who led the Pilgrimage, commented that as there was fog all around us ... continued on page 10...
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Cursillo Team Leaders write...
How About...
Having A Proper Christmas
It’s that time of year again, December has come and with it, all the joys of Christmas. But what is the real meaning of Christmas? Is it the gifts under the tree, the lights in the windows, the cards in the mail, turkey dinners with family and friends, stockings hanging in the living room, and shouts of “Merry Christmas” to those who pass us in the streets? Is this really Christmas?
For many people, Christmas is a time of sorrow. They don’t have the extra money to buy presents for their children, family, and friends. Many are saddened when they think of their loved ones who will not be able to be with them to celebrate
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Christmas for various reasons. Yet, Christmas can be a season of great joy. It is a time of God showing His great love for us. It can be a time of healing and renewed strength. Christmas is when we celebrate the birth of the Christ child. God sent His Son, Jesus, into the world to be born. His birth brought great joy to the world. Why did He come? Why did God send His son to this sometimes cruel and hard world? He sent Jesus to us so that one day, He would grow up to become a very important part of history. His story is one of truth, love, and hope. It brought salvation to all of us. We can truly be happy at Christmas! No matter what may be happening, we can know that we are His children. We then become sons and daughters of God. Heaven will be our home one day.
Currently, around the world, there is a modern-day “war on Christmas”, efforts are being made to eliminate the word Christmas from the festivities. School choirs sing “We Wish You a Happy Holiday” instead of “We Wish You a Merry Christmas” for their “Winter Concert.” Shop displays are without religious connotations, the stable may have animals in it, but no people. And major shopping chains forbid their employees from wishing anyone a “Merry Christmas.” It is possible to do all one’s Christmas shopping and never see or hear the word Christmas in the shops. For many years now the lighting in Regents Street and Oxford Street in London do not have a Christmas theme. How should we Christians respond to the war on Christmas and the use of “Happy Holidays” as opposed to “Merry Christmas”? Perhaps we could:
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Celebrate Christmas! War on Christmas or not, let the joy of the season show in your life. Teach your family the significance of Jesus’ birth and make the Christmas traditions
meaningful in your home.
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Wish others a Merry Christmas. When confronted with a “Happy Holidays,” get specific and wish the greeter a “Merry Christmas!” Even if you’re met with resistance, don’t let it dampen your cheer. In Dickens’ ‘A Christmas Carol’, Ebenezer Scrooge wages a personal war on Christmas, and his nephew feels the brunt of his uncle’s attacks year after year, but it doesn’t stop him from wishing his humbug of an uncle a Merry Christmas and inviting Scrooge to Christmas dinner.
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The Christmas season is a wonderful opportunity to share Christ’s love and the gospel message. When buying your Christmas cards ensure they have a religious theme.
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Set up a Nativity Scene at home. It is hard to imagine that the first nativity scene only appeared about eight hundred years ago and about one thousand two hundred years after the birth of Christ, when St. Francis of Assisi staged the first nativity scene in a cave outside the town of Greccio, Italy. It is said that St. Francis
We wish you a joyful Christmas
This Year? was inspired to re-create the nativity scene because he was disgusted with the greed and materialism that was rampant in Italy at that time. He felt that people had forgotten that Jesus came to us not as a rich king, but as a poor child. The idea of a nativity scene was so radical at the time that St. Francis wrote to Pope Honorius for permission before he moved forward with his plans. Just as St. Francis intended, when we look at these animals and the humbleness of the nativity scene, we should be reminded that if God did not provide a fancy birth for His Son, surely we do not need all of the fancy, new and expensive things that we often associate with Christmas or think that we should have.
will bring you, the Cursillo Movement offers you an excellent opportunity to do this through our three day Cursillo Weekends. The next Cursillo weekends are being held at the Retreat Centre from the 30th March till the 2nd April for women and from the 18th till the 21st May for men. If you are interested in attending please contact us on 58008885 or send us an email on cursillogibraltar@ gmail.com and we shall send you an enrolment form, we look forward to seeing you there. God Bless Cursillo Team of Leaders
Look at Christmas in a new way this year. This is the year to invite Jesus into your heart. You will then have a “Merry Christmas.� The joy and peace you will receive will last all year as you look to God for all your needs to be met. Jesus Is The Reason For The Season! Rejoice! If you would like to get closer to God and enjoy all the peace and happiness that this
Peace and Joy to all Mankind
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Chapel-in-the-Woods by Anne Mesilio
B
etws-y-Coed the sign post said, I was immediately intrigued by the name which I could not pronounce!
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Travelling with two friends in North Wales, our driver, in a lovely Welsh accent, explained the meaning. Deriving from Anglo Saxon it means ‘sanctuary among the trees’ or ‘chapel in the wood’. Well, that only whetted my curiosity. I could see a very vibrant forest which I learned once sheltered an Oratory (1254) in this gateway to Snowdonia. We did not stop, being in a hurry to reach Mount Snowden and enjoy the beauty of this natural park. A feeling of elusiveness teased me as we arrived to drizzle and the mountain shrouded in mist. I was missing something but it was obscured by the mist. Later that day idly wandering around a visitor centre I picked up some leaflets and one titled “North Wales Pilgrims Way” stopped me in my tracks. North Wales and pilgrims did not marry for me. But I was on holiday, busy enjoying the company of good friends, having a lovely time getting to know this place; “lovely the woods, waters, meadows, combes and vales” that is North Wales. Back home I had time to reflect. This Pilgrims way is still finding it’s way among pilgrims, not yet as popular or well known as say, the Camino de Santiago, but the one hundred and thirty
R ISTI A
five mile trail emulates it. A place to find your own pace and peace as you journey along. Having unwittingly travelled some of it I can vouch for that. So, the big question, was I a pilgrim, a traveller in foreign lands? Usually it’s a long journey with time given to prayer and reflection, often with a destination in mind, for example Compostelo. One becomes a wayfarer, a wanderer, setting aside time to “be still and know that I am God” (Ps. 46:10) on what should be a transformational journey. It is not supposed to be a vacation, yet having been doing just that without realising I was on a Pilgrims way, the similarities are hard to miss. It was ‘time out’ away from the daily grind, it was a joy to appreciate what I call
wandering the wilds of Wales. Lured by the irresistible shiny golden sands and shingles of Colwyn Bay, washed by the Irish sea, we retraced a grandmothers steps. She had visited this lovely place on honeymoon from Ireland many years before and it was a very special moment in time for her granddaughter to tread these same sands. Coming home refreshed and imbued with this ancient beauty was soul refreshing. Pilgrimages are supposed to do that too, a spiritual journey with the whole focus on getting closer to God, a deliberate letting go of all the shackles which bind us to temporal things. To follow where God’s sign posts lead with trust and openness, to be of humble service to another along the way
puts me in mind, at this season of Christmas, of Mary and Joseph’s journey to Bethlehem. Joseph was undertaking a pilgrimage of faith and trust after that astonishing revelation of the Angel at the Annunciation and afterwards to Joseph; ‘do as the Angel of the lord commands’ taking Mary to wife. That act of faith must rank as more than a humble service, yet, it was just that, humble, he surrendered to God and dedicated his life without ceremony, to protecting and nurturing Jesus. Over two thousand years later thousands of pilgrims will make their way to Bethlehem amid the threat of war, unrest, terrorism, human suffering on a scale never before witnessed. The Holy Land has become a place of conflict, yet, up to one hundred
FUNDING AVAILABLE
US
T
N
MIS
The Christian Mission Trust provides local Christians with donations for evangelistic SI O N TR initiatives and outreaches. The Trust is ecumenical and has provided money to many groups, individuals and churches during the last 12 years. It is run by a Board of Trustees.
We invite applications for funding from anyone who wishes to launch an evangelistic initiative or who needs support for an existing Christian missionary activity. Please write to: The Chairman, Christian Mission Trust, 4 South Pavilion Road, Gibraltar.
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We wish you a joyful Christmas
Photos: Revd Simon Witcombe (pilgrimsway2014.blogspot.co.uk)
merry go round and fail to savour the real meaning of Christmas. Pope Francis spreads a message of love, humility and peace as the world remains a place of suffering and torment and as this Holy Year ends, surely it is beholden on us to emulate this and keep our Year of Mercy alive? We are supposed to have been pilgrims through this year. Be merciful, even as your Father is merciful” (cf. Lk 6:36). I missed it last year, a rare full moon on Christmas day! The next event is in 2034! Have we missed the most wondrous event ever to have taken place over two thousand years ago? There will not be another.
thousand pilgrims could turn up in Bethlehem in a ‘oh come all ye faithful; celebration of this joyous time. We have completed a Year of Mercy. We are all pilgrims on life’s highway and charity, like mercy, begins at home. We
practice it daily as we interact with family, friends, work colleagues, or at least we should. There comes a time in these days of chaos and uncertainty when we need to seek a sanctuary among the trees, find our own chapel in the wood. So easily
we become prisoners in our own lives and we need to break free to accept the Grace of living which is bestowed on us daily. This is particularly true now at Christmas. It is a hectic time of preparation; present buying and so on, we get caught up in this
Peace and Joy to all Mankind
May your homes be filled with the joy of that first Christmas and your hearts filled with love and peace. In the Pope’s own words; May nothing keep you from growing in friendship with God. There is a facebook page for more information on the North Wales Pilgrim’s Way at https://www.facebook.com/ northwalespilgrimsway
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Pilgrimage to Assisi
continued from page 5... ... it might be a good opportunity for each of us to look inside ourselves, and examine ourselves. We had lunch and then joined the friars for afternoon prayer and the procession to the Chapel of the Cappella della Pietà, where Francis got his stigmata. The procession has taken place every day at 3pm ever since 1431... a very touching experience in a beautiful sanctuary. The following day we visited San Damiano, which is where it all began. Praying before the crucifix of San Damiano St. Francis heard the words “Go Rebuild my Church which as you see is falling into ruin!” It is also where St. Clare died in 1253, it was an important stop in our pilgrimage where an Irish Friar spoke to us about Francis and Clare and explained that the
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Original Cross is in the Basilica of St. Clare because when the Poor Clares moved from San Damiano they took the Crucifix with them. The next day we visited the Basilica of St. Francis. We had Mass in the Chapel of Peace and then a guided visit. Fr. Dan Quackenbush gave us an inspiring insight into the life, journey and spirituality of Francis. He gave us all the details of the beautiful Frescoes in the Basilica and touched on different aspects of St. Francis’ spirituality and his immense love for Jesus. “Love is not loved!” Francis used to say. We spent some time praying in front of Francis’ tomb. That night we went to see the musical “Chiara di Dio”. It is a beautiful production and care has been taken to deliver an authentic representation of the lives of Francis and Clare. We all thoroughly enjoyed it. On Saturday, our last day in Assisi, we visited La Chiesa Nouva, where St. Francis’ house is thought to have been and then the Basilica of St. Clare where the original San Damiano Cross is. We spent some time there in silent prayer, praying for healing and direction for our lives. It’s been a fantastic Pilgrimage and I think the last evening, when we sang “bind us together” it was really heartfelt. We reunited with brothers and sisters we have known for a long time and made new friends in Christ. It has been a beautiful, and inspiring time. Pace e Bene.
CHRISTIAN FAMILY MOVEMENT 25th, 40th, 50th & 60th Wedding Anniversary Celebrations Cathedral of St. Mary the Crowned Friday 27th January 2017 at 7.30pm Mr & Mrs:___________________________________________ Forenames: Husband___________________________________ Forenames: Wife______________________________________ Née:________________________________________________ Address:____________________________________________ ____________________________________________________ E-mail:______________________________________________ Home Tel: ___________________________________________ Work Tel:____________________________________________ Mobile______________________________________________ Date of Marriage:_____________________________________ Church:_____________________________________________
N.B. If marriage took place outside Gibraltar please produce a copy of the Marriage Certificate when handing in this form This form should be handed in at the Cathedral bookshop as soon as possible and not later than Friday 6th January 2017 You can e-mail above detail/form to duos@gibtelecom.net -Please keep this part of the form for your informationAfter the church service celebration, couples are cordially invited to the Catholic Community Centre for refreshments, along with four guests. This is due to the limited space available. Couples should arrive at the Cathedral on 27th January 2017 no later than 7.15pm For further information or queries contact Denise Duo on Home no: 20043386 Mob no: 57021000 email: duos@gibtelecom.net
We wish you a joyful Christmas
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Peace and Joy to all Mankind
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