Advent - then Christmas!
Bouquets and Flowers For Every Event...
This information is intended for parents of school-age children and teachers who are imparting Religious Education within a Catholic school environment.
PASTORAL NOTES FOR DECEMBER
The contents of these documents are related to the present day teaching of the Catholic Church in relation to Doctrine, Liturgy and Catholic practices. There are also special sections on Catholic Marriage and arranging a funeral in the Catholic Church.
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The first coming took place over 2000 years ago when Jesus was born in Bethlehem, so Advent is a time of preparation for Christmas and the Nativity of the Lord. But there is second coming that we look forward to, when Christ will come at the end of time.
St Bernard reminds us of a third coming of Jesus that takes place every day when we meet him in the faces of those we come into contact with, and in the word of God and the sacraments.
During the season of Advent we remember the long years of waiting by the people of Israel for the Messiah, the messages of hope in the prophets, and how Mary and Joseph were faithful to God's plan. Advent is not a penitential season, as Lent is. Advent is a time of joyful preparation and expectation. The Gloria is omitted on Sundays in Advent not as a sign of repentance, but to create a longing that will inspire people to sing it more joyfully on Christmas.
As each week of Advent goes by we light our candles on the Advent wreath, one each week until finally we are ready to celebrate Christ's birth. The colours of purple and royal blue dominate in Advent, signs of the royal colours of the returning king. And as Christmas draws near, all our songs and prayers reflect the great longing of Christians to be reunited with our king as we proclaim: Come, Lord Jesus, come!
Dates to remember
December
1st World Aids Day
3rd Migrants' Day
6th St. Nicholas
7th St. Ambrose
8th Immaculate Conception
10th UN Human Rights Day
Third Sunday of Advent - Gaudete Sunday (Rose Vestments)
13th St. Lucy
14th St. John of the Cross
25th Christmas Day
26th St. Stephen
27th St. John
28th Holy Innocents
MIGRANTS' DAY (December 3rd)
Migration has always been integral to the human condition. Individuals and societies have moved in search of social, economic or cultural opportunity, or to escape the ravages of conflict and persecution. In the 21st century, this movement of people across and within state borders continues. There is no doubt that the need exists to bring an analytical spotlight to bear on the phenomenon of migration, one which should illuminate especially the human rights of the migrant at every stage of his or her journey.
Migrants' Day invites us to examine the way we treat those in our society who are migrants. As a Church what support do we offer to asylum seekers? How do we view travellers? Are we suspicious of or threatened by refugees? Do we extend a welcome to the workers who come to our shores from the newly enlarged European Community?
O Lord, the gospel and its long tradition require your Church to promote and defend the human rights and dignity of people on the move, to advocate social remedies to their problems, and to foster opportunities for their spiritual and religious growth. We pledge ourselves to resist injustices against newcomers, to assist them in their need, and to welcome them into our nation and our community of faith as fellow pilgrims on the journey to the Father. Amen.
THE BOOK WITH MANY COVERS
December 4th is Bible Sunday, a day on which we focus particularly on the place of the word of God in our lives and worship.
Did you know that the bible is not a book? It's a library that contains 73 separate books, 46 of them in the Old Testament and 27 of them in the New Testament. Just as you can get all sorts of different books in a library so too can you find the same sort of range in between the covers of a bible. So there's history, there are stories, there are records of birth, proverbs and maxims, speeches, humorous books, prophecies and warnings, words of comfort, self-help books etc. There have been many translations into English, ranging from those with (now) archaic language to modern ones which are in the language that we speak on the streets.
We Christians believe that when we read the bible we are opening up what God wants the world to know. The bible is the word of God, the message given over the centuries about how to get the most out of life. It is not simply history. It is a living word. When scripture is read, particularly when the Church community gathers to listen to it at worship, God still speaks to each one of us today.
So on Bible Sunday we are encouraged to read the bible more, to think about what it is saying to our world today and to continue to grow in faith by being nourished on the word of God.
IMMACULATE CONCEPTION(December 8th)
Pray, O Mother, for all of us. Pray for humanity who suffers poverty and injustice, violence and hatred, terror and war. Help us to contemplate with the rosary the mysteries of him who "is our peace", so that we will all feel involved in a persevering dedication of service to peace. Look with special attention upon the land in which you gave birth to Jesus, a land that you loved together with him, and that is still so sorely tried today. Pray for us, Mother of hope! Give us days of peace; watch over our way.
Let us see your Son as we rejoice in heaven. Amen! (Pope John Paul II)
JOHN OF THE CROSS (December 14th)
John was born at Fontiveros in Spain about 1542. He entered the Carmelites and with the permission of his superiors began to live a stricter life. Later he was persuaded by St. Teresa to begin, together with some others, the Discalced reform within the Carmelite friars; this cost him much hard work and many trials. He died in Ubeda in 1591, outstanding in holiness and wisdom, to which his many spiritual writings give eloquent witness. After his death the reform he introduced within the friars eventually separated from the Carmelite Order to become the Order of Discalced Carmelite Friars.
Lord, you endowed St. John of the Cross with a spirit of self-denial and love of the cross. By following his example may we come to the eternal vision of your glory. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen.
THE CHRISTMAS CANDLE
Lord, I light this candle at Christmas for myself and those who are dear to me. May its flame be a reminder of the way you light up my days and warm my heart. May its fire burn away my pride, my selfishness, and all that keeps me from you. As I celebrate the birth of your Son, who came into the family of Nazareth, I pray to you for my own family and friends, both living and dead. Keep them in your love and let them feel your powerful presence. I leave this candle now as a token of the service I want to give you. May it continue to burn in all my thoughts, words and deeds today and for ever. Amen.
HOLY INNOCENTS (December 28th)
God of all life and goodness, we remember today the slaughter of the Holy Innocents of Bethlehem by King Herod. Receive into the arms of your mercy all innocent victims, those who are abused or oppressed in any way. We pray for those who have caused children to be killed in the womb before birth. We pray for those children who have been trafficked for money, used for sex and mistreated for selfish exploitation. In your great power come to the aid of those who work to frustrate the designs of evil rulers, bring your light to those who trade on the weakness of the young and establish your reign of justice, love and peace. We ask this through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
CHRISTMAS TRIVIA
What does the word Christmas mean?
When Christmas was first established as a feast it was to be a prayerful observance of the entry of Christ into our world and human condition. So the Old English word expresses this religious celebration: "Cristes Maesse" or Mass of Christ. A fourth-century theologian wrote, "We hold this day holy, not like the pagans because of the birth of the sun, but because of him who made it". In many languages the word for Christmas expresses the aspect of birth. So in Spanish it's La Navidad and in Italian it's Il Natale.
Cards
Christmas cards began with school children drawing pictures of biblical scenes and a message like "Happy Feast" or "I promise to be good" etc., and giving them to their parents before Christmas. In 1846 after the advent of the British postal system, the first Christmas Card was produced, showing a family celebrating a Christmas dinner in the centre and on each side were acts of charity picturing feeding and clothing the poor, with the message: "A Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to You". They were by John Calcott Horsley and 1,000 were made.
Father Christmas
Father Christmas is a character who developed from several pagan gods. The Roman Saturnalia god was a giant who brought food, wine, joy and revelry once a year to all. Odin, a pagan god of Norse tradition, would sweep across the land during the winter. A fusion of these Roman and Norse deities, he is always portrayed as a giant with a robe lined with fur and holly with ivy or mistletoe on his head and carrying a Yule Log.
Yule Log
In the Dark Ages people in cold northern climates stocked up for the winter and lived off the fat of the land in the months when work was impossible because of the weather. This period of hibernation was known as Yuletide. The burning of fires and bonfires was an important part of the Yule festivals. When Christmas replaced the pagan Yule festival the Yule log carried over. It was selected on Candlemas (February 2nd) and was found by the family itself. It had to be lit 12 days before Christmas by a piece of last year's Yule log and it had to last until Christmas where it was put out and a piece saved for lighting the next year's log.
Christmas Carols
The word "carol" comes from a Greek word meaning a dance that is accompanied by flute music. By the 16th century carols involved singing mainly Christmas songs or hymns often at festive gatherings. The older the carol the more likely it is to have a dance rhythm to it. The 18th and 19th centuries saw many carols written and the Victorian period has given us many of our traditional Christmas songs, although they often tend to be more reflective and even maudlin rather than bouncy. In recent years carols have made a comeback with composers writing more modern and often more punchy words.
Gift-Giving
In the December 17th Roman festival of Saturnalia and the Roman celebrations of the New Year, gifts were given as good luck emblems and houses were decorated with greenery. The early Christians frowned on this pagan ritual, and wouldn't have any part of it. But this custom was so embedded in pagan mentality that many of the converts wouldn't give up the practice of giving gifts and so it became linked to the Magi's giving of gifts (January 6th) and later to St. Nicholas's gift-giving (December 6th). Gift-giving became widely accepted by the middle ages.
The most popular gift requests of boys and girls are for toys, but in the 19th and early 20th century it was fruit, nuts and sweets. Many of the early letters to Santa printed in the newspapers would include this request. Churches, of course, distribute goods to people in need at Christmas, while others to this day make up sacks of fruit, nuts and sweets to pass out to everyone on the Sunday before Christmas.
