The Grace of our Lord Jesus Christ
And the love of God
And the communion of The Holy Spirit
Be with you all
The Grace of our Lord Jesus Christ
And the love of God
And the communion of The Holy Spirit
Be with you all
The season of Advent begins the Church’s liturgical year and prepares Catholics for both the birth of Jesus and the second coming of Christ. The Advent season is a time of preparation that directs our hearts and minds to Christ’s second coming at the end of time and to the anniversary of our Lord’s birth on Christmas. Advent is derived from the Latin word Adventus or advenire, meaning “coming or to come to.”
From the earliest days of the Church, people have been fascinated by Jesus’ promise to come back. But the scripture readings during Advent tell us not to waste our time with predictions. Advent is not about speculation. Our advent readings call us to be alert and ready, not to be distracted by the cares of this world (Lk 21:34-36). Like lent, the liturgical colour for Advent is purple since both are seasons that prepare us for great feast days. The Advent season is also penitential in nature, inviting the faithful to prepare through the practices of prayer, penance and almsgiving.
The Advent wreath is a longstanding symbol and tradition of the Advent season. A continuous evergreen circle, it contains four candles, one for each week. The first, second, and fourth candles are purple or violet, a liturgical colour that signifies prayer, penance and sacrifice. The pink candle is lit on the third Sunday of Advent. This special Sunday is also known as Gaudete Sunday. Gaudete means “rejoice” and is a reminder of the joyful Christmas season drawing nearer.
The final days of Advent, from December 17 to December 24, we focus on our preparation for the celebrations of the Nativity of our Lord at Christmas. We prepare for the coming of our Lord. Let this Advent be a moment of transformation for us as individuals and as a community.
God bless you all. Fr. Henry
Following the decision of MPs to vote in favour of the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill at the Second Reading today (29 November), Bishop John Sherrington, Lead Bishop for Life Issues, said:
In the presence of the Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem, Archbishop John Wilson KC*HS, Archbishop of Southwark and the Grand Prior of the Lieutenancy of the Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulchre in England and Wales, has expressed his solidarity with the Church and people of the Holy Land.
The death toll in Gaza has exceeded 44,300 with seventy percent of the victims being women and children. In the following interview, UN human rights lawyer, Chris Sidoti, describes investigative work underway to determine what criminal responsibilities there may be in the conflict that shows no end in sight.
