Today we begin Advent, we light one candle today symbolizing our longing, our desire, our HOPE in the coming of Jesus. As we come together as a school community in the spirit of Advent let us pray and remind ourselves of the symbols and their meanings.
The advent wreath is green, the colour of new life and hope. Green reminds us of the newborn Jesus, who came to show us the way to everlasting life. Green reminds us of the gift of new life we received at baptism. Green also reminds us that we are people of hope, because God is always with us, to raise us up when we are sad, when we are sick and even when we die.
The advent wreath has three purple candles and one pink candle. Purple is the colour of kings and queens. It is also the colour of penance: the small sacrifices we make to welcome Jesus in our hearts and to prepare ourselves to meet with him on Christmas Day.
Pink is the colour of Joy. It reminds us of the joy of meeting Jesus at Christmas.
The Advent wreath is made in a circle, with no beginning or end. It reminds us of God’s everlasting love, which has no beginning or end. We light our Advent wreath from a single candle. This candle reminds us of Jesus, who comes to us as Light of the World.
During this Advent season, let us try to remember the special times in our lives when we walked in God’s light. Sharing our faith as a family here at our school is a wonderful way to prepare our hearts for the coming of Lord Jesus.
A prayer for the first week of Advent