The Symbols of Advent (Year B)

4. Christ Child (a) What is the significance of the star in this image? (use thereadings for the Christmas masses to find the answer) (b) What difference would it make to the meaning of the symbol, if the artist had left out the star? (c) Why is the star/child a useful symbol during the Advent/Christmas season? (read the gospel for the feast of the Epiphany of the Lord)

Preparing for Christmas was produced by ResourceLink @ Brisbane Catholic Education in 2011. Teachers may copy, modify or distribute this resource freely. Text, graphics & layout: Dr Jenny Close Teachers’ Notes

1. Advent Wreath (a) What are the origins of the Advent Wreath? (b) What is the significance of the greenery? (c) Why do we use four candles? (d) When are the four candles lit? (e) What difference does it make to use gum tree leaves instead of the traditional fir tree branch? Which do you prefer? Why? The Advent Wreath comes from the Northern Hemisphere where Advent is celebrated during winter. In the dead of winter, the nights are long and the sun is too far away to give warmth to the earth. So it is appropriate to use candle light as a symbol of hope. Here are some links with useful information about the origins and meaning of the Advent Wreath: RESource; The Catholic Education Resource Centre; Jamberoo Abbey; EWTN. The progressive lighting of the candles over the four weeks of Advent is a way to mark the passing of the time - while we watch and wait for the advent of Christ at Christmas. The use of light also reflects what Luke’s gospel says about the advent of Christ: ‘By the tender mercy of our God, the dawn from on high will break upon us, to give light to those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the way of peace.’ (Luke 1:78-79) See also the readings for the season: The Christmas Mass during the Day: Gospel - John 1:1-18. The Epiphany of the Lord: First Reading – Isaiah 60:1-6. This focus on winter imagery can be a problem for those of us who live in the Southern Hemisphere. The way to overcome the difficulty is to infuse a little local colour into the mix. This is why the wreath here uses Australian greenery. The colour of the wreath candles does not matter too much. The custom of using three purple and one pink candle reflects the old notion of Advent as a penitential season. Nowadays Advent is the season of hopeful expectation, so white candles are a good choice. The focus is not on the candles, but on Christ our light.

2. Alpha and Omega (a) What are the origins of this symbol? (b) Why did the early Christians use this as a symbol of Christ? (c) Why is the alpha/omega a useful symbol during the Advent/Christmas season? (read the Christmas gospel for the Mass During the Day) Alpha and Omega are the first and last letters of the Greek alphabet. These letters have been used since the early days of the church to represent Christ - the beginning and the end – the totality. The Christmas gospel for the Mass During the Day is John 1:1-18.

3. Holy Spirit (a) Why is the dove a traditional symbol of the Holy Spirit? (b) Are there other symbols of the Holy Spirit? (c) Why is the Holy Spirit a useful symbol during the Advent/Christmas season? (use the readings for the Sundays of Advent Year B to find the answer) Each of the gospels has an account of the Baptism of Jesus by John the Baptist. In each account the Holy Spirit is described as a dove: Matthew 3:16; Mark 1:10; Luke 3:22; John 1:32. At Pentecost, Luke describes the Holy Spirit descending on the disciples like tongues of fire: Acts 2:3. The Holy Spirit is mentioned many times in the Advent and Christmas season readings: Second Sunday of Advent: Gospel: Mark: 1:1-8 Third Sunday of Advent: First Reading - Isaiah 61:1-2 ; Second Reading - 1 Thessalonians 5:16-24 Fourth Sunday of Advent: Gospel - Luke 1:26-38 Christmas mass at dawn: Second Reading - Titus 3:4-6 Feast of Mary, the Holy Mother of God: Second Reading – Galatians 4:4-7 The Epiphany of the Lord: Second Reading – Ephesians 3:2-3, 5-6 The Baptism of the Lord: Gospel Mark 1:10 or Luke 3:22

4. Christ Child (a) What is the significance of the star? (use the readings for the Christmas masses to find the answer. (b) What difference would it make to the meaning of the symbol, if the artist had left out the star? Why is the star/child a useful symbol during the Advent/Christmas season? (read the gospel for the feast of the Epiphany of the Lord) The prayers and the readings for the Epiphany align the baby Jesus with the star imagery. The Epiphany of the Lord: Gospel – Matthew 2:1-12. The word ‘epiphany’ refers to the manifestation or appearance of Jesus Christ. The gospel of the day tells the story of the Magi, or three wise men from the East, who follow a star to find the Christ child in Bethlehem. The Magi are symbolic of the world outside Judaism and so the feast celebrates the revelation, or manifestation, of Christ to the whole world. The star is the cosmic sign of the advent of Christ into the world. Images like this, of baby Jesus as a star child, indicate that Jesus is both human and divine.

The Readings for the Sundays of Advent (Year B) and Christmas Day was produced by ResourceLink @ Brisbane Catholic Education in 2014. Text, graphics & layout: Dr Jenny Close

This resource is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial 3.0 Unported License. To view a copy of this license, visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/3.0/.

You are free to share, to copy, to distribute and transmit the work, to remix or adapt the work - under the following conditions: (1) attribution — you must attribute the work in the manner specified by the author or licensor (but not in any way that suggests that they endorse you or your use of the work); (2) noncommercial — you may not use this work for commercial purposes.