During the four weeks of Advent, we christians are supposed to be expectant with awe; the season is pregnant with MEANING!! How can we not be excited!! If you have not yet put out your Advent wreath do it and make a big deal of it in your home. Three violet candles represent the penitential aspect of the season, one rose colored candle represents the joy of Christ's birth. Some people add a larger white candle in the middle to represent Jesus. That one will remain unlit until the Christmas Eve Vigil on December 24, then lit again on Christmas. Every color, scent, and object is infused with symbolic meaning. The Advent wreath traditionally involves these:
Wreath:................The Eternal nature of God; the king who is coming and will come again
Ivy:......................Clinging to God's strength
Bay......................Victory over sin and death
Cedar..................Eternal life through Christ
Violet...................Penance
Rose/Pink............Joy
Green (wreath).....Hope in God
First Candle.........Isaiah and prophets who foretold the coming of Christ
Second Candle.....The Bible
Third Candle........Mary, the Mother of God
Fourth Candle......John the Baptist, who called Jesus the "light of the world"
Middle Candle......Jesus, Light of the World
-Resource: The Catholic Home by Meredith Gould
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