A prayer to ask God's blessing during the season of Advent
Lord our God,
we praise you for your Son, Jesus Christ:
He is Emmanuel, the hope of the peoples,
He is the Wisdom that teaches and guides us,
He is the saviour of every nation.
Lord God,
let your blessing come upon us
as we light the candles of this wreath.
May the wreath and its light
be a sign of Christ’s promise to bring us salvation.
May He come quickly and not delay.
We ask this through Christ our Lord,
Amen.
A little bit about the Advent Wreath:
The word “advent” means “coming.” In this season, our focus should be on the two comings of Christ to earth: as our Saviour two thousand years ago, and as our Judge one day in the future. The Advent wreath is a rich symbol of this season. The Advent wreath is a circular garland of evergreen branches representing eternity. On that wreath, four or five candles are typically arranged. Each candle represents an aspect of the spiritual preparation for the coming of the Lord, Jesus Christ.
The Advent wreath is made of various evergreens, signifying continuous, everlasting life. The laurel signifies Victory over persecution and suffering; pine, holly, and yew immortality; and cedar: strength and healing. Holly also has a special Christian symbolism: The prickly leaves remind us of the crown of thorns and the red berries, the blood of Our Saviour. The circle of the wreath, which has no beginning or end, symbolizes the eternity of God, the immortality of the soul and the everlasting life offered by Christ. Any pine cones, nuts or seedpods used to decorate the wreath also symbolize life and resurrection. All together, the wreath of evergreens depicts the immortality of our soul and new, everlasting life promised to us through Christ, the Eternal Word of the Father, who entered our world becoming true man and who was victorious over sin and death through His own passion, death, and Resurrection.
The Candles:
Advent candles readily demonstrate the strong contrast between darkness and light, which is an important biblical image. Jesus referred to himself as the "Light of the World" that dispels the darkness of sin: “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness but will have the light of life” (John 8:12). Human history spanned long ages shrouded in the darkness of sin before our prophesied Saviour would finally make his appearance to free us from its dominion. As the Messiah's "Advent" (or "coming") draws nearer another candle is lit, with each candle dispelling the darkness a little more. Thus, the Advent wreath helps us to spiritually contemplate the great drama of salvation history that surrounds the birth of Christ, who comes to redeem the human race and make all things new (Rev. 21:5). It also reminds us that, as Christians, we're meant to reflect the light of Christ in this world. As Jesus tells us, You are the light of the world ...let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father in heaven. (Matthew 5:14-16) The four candles represent the four weeks of Advent. While the number of weeks and days of Advent preparation varied in the early centuries of the church, St. Gregory VII (d. 1095) set the number of Sundays in Advent to four, with the first Sunday marking the beginning of the liturgical year. Three candles are purple, and one is rose. The purple candles symbolize the prayer, penance and preparatory sacrifices and good works undertaken at this time. The rose candle is lit on the third Sunday, Gaudete Sunday, when the priest may use rose vestments at Mass. Gaudete Sunday is the Sunday of rejoicing, because the faithful have arrived at a significant moment in Advent, when their preparation is now half over and they draw closer to Christmas.