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Christian religion uses
many signs and symbols in her liturgical life. These
help the faithful to associate the tenets of faith with
everyday life. These also server as tools for better
understanding the mysteries of the Christian faith.
In some parts of the church
there is the practice of plaiting a wreaths and sticking
five coloured candles inside it to light them on four
Sundays of Advent and on the Christmas day.
Understanding the symbolism around this practice might
help us too deepen our faith.
Evergreens and the Advent Wreath
The season of Christmas is
marked with various symbols. Some churches and homes are
decorated with evergreen wreaths or trees. This
symbolizes the new and everlasting life brought by Jesus
the Christ.
The Colours of Advent:
Historically, Purple
is the primary colour of Advent. This colour signals a
time for penitence and fasting as well, a colour of
royalty. The church awaits her King during the season of
Advent. The purple of Advent is also the colour of her
sister season of Lent and the Holy Week which highlights
the suffering of Jesus. The symbolism of colour achieves
an important connection between Jesus’ birth and death.
The mystery of Incarnation cannot be separated from the
mystery of Redemption.
Reflection:
Christian spirituality is
never devoid of the penitential element. The shadow of
the cross of Christ follows us close behind to remind
that total happiness is attained only after having been
“washed in the blood of the Lamb.” The Christmas joy is
the fruit of insistent pleading for mercy which is
ultimately given to us as a free gift.
The third Sunday,
traditionally called Gaudete Sunday (from the
Latin word for "rejoice"), came to be a time of
rejoicing. The colour for this day is pink or
rose. This indicated that the season for fasting was
almost over. Attention was given more to rejoicing. In
recent times the penitential aspect of the Season has
been almost totally replaced by an emphasis on hope and
anticipation.
Reflection:
We pray in the Psalms, “Give us joy to balance our
afflictions.” How often we see life as a valley of
tears. But the scripture calls us very often to look up
to God with tears of joy because the day of the Lord is
here. It is said in psychology, “You give energy to what
you focus on.” If your focus is more on your sins and
failures, than on the mercy of God which gives you
reason to rejoice, then you are more likely to get
depressed. Again, at Mass we pray, “Look not on our
sins, but on the faith of your church.” The Gaudete
Sunday - close to the great day of Christmas - was
originally celebrated to lighten the severity of penance
and to highlight the fact of the immanent coming of the
Saviour. Even when the element of penance is downplayed
during the season of Advent this day can remind us of
the theme of joy that marks the coming of the Lord.
The Advent wreath
is a circular evergreen wreath (real or artificial) with
five candles, four around the wreath and one in the
center.
The circle of the wreath
reminds us of the completeness of God Himself. It shows
his endless mercy, which has no beginning or end.
Reflection:
God is the most perfect being. In fact all perfection
comes from him alone. Human beings, however attractive
they might appear are imperfect. Abraham is hailed as
the father of faith. But he was the coward who could not
believe the promise. He went in to a slave girl to have
a child of her. Joseph was the immature and arrogant
teenager who bragged about his dreams to the
discontentment of his brothers and his parents. Moses
was the impatient murderer who could not wait for God.
Gideon was the cowardly Baal-worshipper. Samson was the
womanizing drunkard. David was a lustful murderer.
Hezekiah was the reformer who could not go far enough.
None of these could provide the leadership that God
alone was able to provide. That is why he said, “I
myself will shepherd my people.”
How often do we get
impatient with ourselves because we are not what we
would like to be: the perfect student, teacher, speaker,
…. How often we get annoyed with others because they do
not measure up to our expectation! How we have wished if
people were different!
The season of Advent makes
us bow before the majesty of God: look up to him for the
perfection that you had been mistakenly looking for in
creatures, and find peace.
The green of the wreath:
Green is the colour of life. During winter in the snowy
parts of the West is the only tree with
green leaves that could be found. Traditionally these
leaves are placed in churches and homes to indicate the
life that God promises the faithful.
Reflection:
Amidst the cold, dark winter of our life, Christ brings
new life. We need the season of Advent and then
Christmas to bring new hope into the autumn of our
lives.
The five candles within
the wreath
Candles
symbolize the light that God is to send to the earth in
the person of Jesus. During the four Sundays of Advent
we await his birth. This is symbolized by the four
outer candles. Some also believe that they represent
the period of waiting. During the four centuries between
the prophet Malachi and the birth of Christ the people
of God were waiting for the Messiah to come.
The colors of the
candles vary according to tradition. There are
usually three purple candles and one pink or rose
candle. Note that these correspond to the colours of the
sanctuary. On the first Sunday of Advent one of the
purple candles is lighted. On the subsequent Sundays the
other candles too are lighted. The pink candle is
usually lighted on the third Sunday of Advent. The white
candle at the centre, which is lit on Christmas day,
symbolizes Christ himself.
Reflection:
The light of the candles
itself becomes an important symbol of the season. The
light reminds us that Jesus is the light of the world
that comes into the darkness of our lives to bring
newness, life, and hope. It also reminds us of our call
to be light to the world. As the candles are lighted
progressively over the four week period, it symbolizes
the gradual disappearance of darkness from our lives as
the light of Christ sets in. On the day of Nativity the
light of Christ becomes plain to the people. It is
important to enter into the season of Advent. Often at
the end of the season of Advent people suddenly realize
that Christmas has already come without ever having
prepared for it spiritually.
The first candle is
traditionally the candle of Expectation or Hope.
The readings of the first week draws our attention to
the coming of a Messiah who will dethrone the
unrighteous kings and false prophets. God himself will
be the Shepherd-King.
The remaining three
candles tell the stories associated with Christmas.
The themes may vary according to the liturgical year.
They all revolve around the themes of Annunciation,
Proclamation and Fulfillment. Suitable readings from the
scripture may be chosen to explain the symbolism of
lighting the candles. Whatever be the theme followed,
what is important is that the story of redemption
brought about by the incarnation of Jesus be told.
The Pink candle,
which is usually lit on the third Sunday of Advent (in
some places in the Fourth Sunday), symbolizes Joy
as the coming of the Saviour is close at hand (as
already described).
The candle in the center
is white and is called the Christ Candle. It is
traditionally lighted on Christmas Eve or Day. The
central position of the Christ Candle reminds us that
Christ is at the centre of Human history.
Reflection:
Recently I chanced to read
a quotation from Goethe who said, hinting at a priest,
“To appear at church every Sunday; to look down upon,
and let oneself be looked at for an hour by the
congregation, is the best means to becoming popular
which can be recommended to a young sovereign.” I felt
slighted. Then I thought the philosopher has
misunderstood the role of a priest at the Eucharistic
celebration. He is not at the centre. He is only a
minister. It is the word of God and the Eucharistic Lord
that is at the centre. The priest is at the service or
the Word and sacrament.
Making room for the Saviour to be
born in our hearts would mean letting God to be God in
all that we do. Whereas if we are at the centre-stage of
all our affairs we can be sure that God will not be born
in us.
Quotation from Johann Tauler:
“It is certain that if God is to
be born in the soul
It must turn back to eternity …
It must turn in towards itself
with all its might, must recall itself,
and concentrate all its faculties
within itself,
the lowest as well as the highest.
All its dissipated powers must be
gathered up into one,
because unity is strength.
Next the soul must go out.
It must travel away from itself,
above itself …
There must be nothing left in us
but a pure intention toward God;
no will to be or become or obtain
anything for ourselves.
We must exist only to make a place
for him,
were he may do his work;
there, when we are no longer
putting ourselves in his way,
he can be born in us."
Involving the Children during
Advent
Christmas could be a great
season to reunite the members of the family. It would
be a good idea to prepare an Advent wreath. This may be
placed at a prominent place, probably on the dining
table. It could be ceremoniously lighted at a convenient
time when all the family members could gather for meals.
This could be preceded by a scripture reading that
reminds the members of the mystery of incarnation. A new
candle is lit each Sunday during the four weeks, and
then the same candles are lit at each meal during the
week. This would help create a better sense of the
mystery that we are going to celebrate. |
