Seasoning the Seasons™ The Institute for Christian Formation, Inc. logo©2004 by R Fulwiler The Season of Advent Text©2009 by Sandra A. Chakeres. All rights reserved. Happy New (Liturgical) Year! Advent Wreaths While it’s too early to celebrate Christmas (the Christmas ∗ The circle of evergreens that Season begins at sundown December 24th), it’s a perfect time make an Advent Wreath is to celebrate the New Year! With the first Sunday of Advent, symbolic of God’s eternal we begin a new Liturgical, or Church, Year. love for us. The word advent means “coming.” During Advent we prepare ∗ An Advent Wreath has four for two comings of Christ. We prepare for Christmas and the candles, usually three violet celebration of Christ’s incarnation, and we prepare for and one rose. The rose Christ’s second coming at the end of time. candle is lighted the third Advent begins the eve of the fourth Sunday before Christmas, Lighting the first candle Sunday of Advent, Gaudete always the Sunday closest to the November 30th Feast of of the Advent Wreath Sunday. Saint Andrew. Therefore, Advent is not always four weeks signals the start of a new long. It is possible some years that the fourth Sunday of Ad- Church Year. vent could be December 24th! Advent is a time of preparation and waiting. Violet, which expresses penance, sorrow, and/or waiting is the primary liturgical color during this season. Rose, however, is the color for the third Sunday of Advent, Gaudete Sunday. The word gaudete is Latin for rejoice. The entrance antiphon for Mass the third Sunday of Advent begins with the words from Saint Paul’s Letter to the Philippians, “Rejoice in the Lord always.” On this third Sunday of Advent we rejoice in the fact that the Lord is near. It is only in keeping Advent and not rushing the Christmas Season that we will be ready for the Lord when he comes! Inside this issue: The Bishop of Myra 2 The Lectionary Cycle Operation Opera 2 Most “mainline” Christian In Year B, Mark’s Gospel denominations follow a is predominant, and Year Advent Roses 2 three-year lectionary cy- C is the Year of Luke. cle for Sunday Scripture John’s Gospel is pro- Here’s... Lucy! 3 readings. The first Sun- claimed at certain times day of Advent we begin during each year of the not only a new Church three-year cycle. Happy Hanukkah! 3 Year, but also a new Sun- Spend some time praying day lectionary cycle. with the Gospel for the “O” What a Week! 3 In Year A, Matthew’s current Liturgical Year, Advent Pilgrims 4 Gospel is the main Gospel and also familiarize your- Saint Luke the Evangelist we hear proclaimed on self with all four of the Iconographer: Simeon Spiridonov Sundays during this year. Evangelists’ writings. School: Yaroslavl; 1690 Seasoning the Seasons™ The Season of Advent The Bishop of Myra Saint Nicholas, who lived in is that he helped a family who sailors and bankers, and countries the 4th century and whose was too poor to provide a including Greece and Russia Feast Day we celebrate on dowry for their daughters’ wed- One tradition associated with December 6th, was the dings by throwing bags of gold Saint Nicholas is to leave your Bishop of Myra, in what is into their window at night. empty shoe out on the eve of his now the country of Turkey. It is also said that Saint Nicho- Feast Day, and when you awaken As he became bishop at a las was present at the Council on December 6th you will find it very young age, he is often of Nicaea in 325, and that he filled with such things as candy referred to as the “Boy was imprisoned because of the canes (representing his bishop’s Bishop.” He is also called stand he took there for the crosier, or staff) and tangerines or “Wonderworker” for all of truth of Jesus Christ. gold foil wrapped chocolate coins Saint Nicholas the marvelous deeds he did. (representing the bags of gold he Nicholas is the Patron Saint of with Deisis There are many legends threw in the window for the young Novgorod, 1294 many people, such as children, about Saint Nicholas. One women’s dowry). Operation Opera On December 7th we cele- was said to have written a Milan, Italy. On this day, brate the Feast Day of yet number of hymns, including the streets of Milan are another 4th century bishop, the text of the great Advent also lined with vendors Saint Ambrose. While still hymn, Veni, Redemptor Gen- selling roasted chestnuts. a catechumen (someone pre- tium (Savior of the Nations, So keep Saint Ambrose’s paring for baptism), Come). Feast Day in a special way. Ambrose was chosen bishop Opera buffs might be aware Light a fire, roast some ♫♫ of Milan, a city in Italy. of the fact that the opera chestnuts, and listen to Saint Ambrose is one of the season at the world famous some opera. And of course, great Church Doctors La Scala Opera House in join in singing some of (teachers). But Christians Milan always opens on De- Ambrose’s hymns to the today may be more familiar cember 7th, the Feast of glory of God! with his hymns. Ambrose Saint Ambrose, patron of Advent Roses Mary, the Mother of Jesus, is a central figure in Advent. On Decem- ber 8th we celebrate the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary. Exactly nine months before we celebrate the Feast of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary, we celebrate that from her very conception, Mary was free from sin. And four days after we celebrate the Immaculate Conception, we celebrate the Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe on December 12th. In the year 1531, the Virgin Mary appeared in Mexico to Juan Diego. Mary appeared as a young, pregnant Aztec woman. When the local bishop didn’t believe this vision of Juan Diego, Mary provided a sign—roses in December! Mary’s image, as she appeared to Juan Diego, miraculously appeared on his tilma. Through the centuries this cloak has remained intact, and is on display above the altar at the Basilica of Guadalupe in Mexico. We celebrate Saint Juan Diego’s Feast Day on December 9th Page 2 Seasoning the Seasons™ The Season of Advent Here’s…Lucy! Early in the morning on December 13th, especially in Scandinavian countries, it is common for the oldest daughter in the family to wear a white gown and red sash, with a wreath of candles on her head, and serve coffee and Lucy Cats (saffron buns) to the household. It’s the Feast Day of Santa Lucia, or Saint Lucy! Saint Lucy lived in Syracuse on the island of Sicily. Around the year 304, she was martyred at a very young age during a time when the Emperor Diocletian was persecuting Christians. Still today, we hear Saint Lucy’s name mentioned in Eucharistic Prayer I. But few details are known of her actual life. One legend says that during the persecution, Lucy’s eyes were plucked out. That is why Saint Lucy is sometimes depicted holding a platter with eyeballs on it! The Gospel for the Feast of Saint Lucy is Matthew 25:1-13 (The Parable of the Ten Virgins). In this par- able, the five wise virgins went out to meet the Lord with their lamps lighted. Perhaps the five candles in the wreath on Lucy’s head in this depiction represent those five faithful virgins! Saint Lucy is the Patron Saint of those who are blind or suffer from eye diseases, as well as the island of Sicily. Happy Hanukkah! As we light the candles on our Advent eight days of the Hanukkah Festival. wreaths, and remember Saint Lucy, On the Jewish calendar, Hanukkah be- whose name means light, it is good to gins on the 25th day of the month of remember our Jewish brothers and sis- Kislev and lasts for eight days and ters who are preparing to celebrate their nights. Feast of Lights—Hanukkah! To find out more about the Maccabees The Hebrew word Hanukkah means and the Temple, read 1 and 2 Maccabees dedication, and Hanukkah celebrates in the Catholic Bible. the rededication of the Temple in Jeru- salem by Judas Maccabeus in 165 BCE. While we light candles on our Advent wreaths marking the four Sundays of Advent, our Jewish brethren light can- dles on their menorah, marking the “O” What a Week! Perhaps one of the best prayed beginning Decem- Nations (Rex Gentium), known Advent hymns is “O ber 17 through December and God-With-Us Come, O Come, Em- 23. They are prayed at Ves- (Emmanuel). manuel.” This hymn is pers, and may be used as If you look at the titles in based on what we call the the Gospel acclamation at Latin, the initials, taken “O Antiphons”. These Mass on these days. backwards, spell ERO seven antiphons call for the These titles of Christ are CRAS, which in Latin coming of Christ, using Wisdom (Sapientia), Lord means tomorrow I come, or titles of Christ from (Adonai), Root of Jesse I will be tomorrow. As we prophecies in the Hebrew (Radix Jesse), Key of David conclude the O Antiphons, Scriptures. Each antiphon (Clavis David), Radiant the birth of the Lord draws begins with the word “O.” Dawn (Oriens), King of near! The O Antiphons are Page 3 The Institute for Christian Formation P.O. Box 20174 Cincinnati, OH 45220 Seasoning the Seasons™ is a mark of the Institute for Christian Formation, Inc.