Tag Archives: art

THE ADVENT WREATH

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The Advent wreath and its four candles, for the four Advent weeks, is a traditional devotion for this season. It originated in the folk practices of the pre-Christian Germanic peoples who gathered wreaths of evergreen and lit fires during the cold December darkness as a sign of hope for spring and new light.

Christians kept these popular traditions. By the 16th century Catholics and Protestants throughout Germany used these symbols to celebrate their Advent hope in Christ, the everlasting Light. From there, the Advent wreath spread to other parts of the Christian world.

Traditionally, the wreath consists of four candles in a circle of evergreens. Each day at home, the candles are lighted, perhaps before the evening meal– one candle the first week, and then another each succeeding week until December 25th. A short prayer may accompany the lighting.

Prayers for an Advent Wreath

The day the wreath is lit the leader may say:

Our nights grow longer and our days grow shorter.
We look at this candle and green branches–
and remember God’s promise to our world:
Christ, our Light and our Hope, will come.

Here are the words of Isaiah the prophet:

The people that walked in darkness have seen a great light;
on those who lived in a land as dark as death a light has dawned.
You have increased their joy and given them gladness;
We rejoice in your presence.

Let us pray:

O God, we rejoice as we remember the promise of your Son,

Jesus Christ,

His light shines on us,

brightening our way, guiding us by his truth.

May Christ our Savior bring light into the darkness of our world, 

and to us who wait for his coming.

We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen.

1st Week

O Emmanuel, Jesus Christ,

Desire of all nations.

Savior of all peoples,

Come and dwell with us. Amen.

2nd Week

O King of all nations, Jesus Christ,

Joy of every heart,

Come and save your people. Amen.

3rd Week

O Key of David, Jesus Christ,

Open heaven’s gates,

Come and let your people enter. Amen.

4th Week

O Wisdom, Word of God, Jesus Christ,

You know all things,

Come and show us the way to salvation. Amen.

Learning from Job

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St. Gregory the Great, one the greatest of the popes, was called to that position in the 6th century, when Rome was under siege and in decline.  He didn’t want the job and for spiritual guidance he read from the Book of Job.  We would never know the greatness of Job, if suffering didn’t reveal it, he said.  Here are a few lines from his commentary on Job, our first reading this week:

“Paul saw the riches of wisdom within himself though his outward body was corruptible, and so he says ‘ We have this treasure in earthen vessels.  In Job, then, the earthen vessel had gaping sores, while an interior treasure of wisdom remained unchanged. Gaping outward wounds did not stop a treasure of wisdom from welling up within, for he said: ‘If we have received good things at the hand of the Lord, shall we not receive evil?’

By good things Job means the good things given by God, both temporal and eternal; by evil he means the blows he presently suffers.

When we’re afflicted, let’s remember our Maker’s gifts to us. Suffering will not depress us if we quickly remember the gifts we’ve been given. As Scripture says, ‘In the day of prosperity do not forget affliction, and in the day of affliction, do not forget prosperity.’”

The love of God for us was proven through the death of his Son, Jesus Christ who, like Job, was tested by suffering and death.

A Little Boy, Five Barley Loaves and Two Fish

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Andrew, brother of Peter, says to Jesus when he asked his disciples to provide food for a hungry crowd: “There is a boy here who has five barley loaves and two fish; but what good are these for so many?” (John 6:1-15)

Duk Soon Fwang, an artist friend of mine, has been thinking a good while about that little boy and what he brought to Jesus. “We don’t know the little boy’s name and he only has a few loaves and fish to give. He’s like me,” she said. “But Jesus sees what he brings and makes it more.” 

She’s almost completed a painting of the boy and Jesus, which you can see above. 

At Mass this morning, we read that gospel story before we brought small pieces of bread and a cup of wine to the altar. I remembered what she said. This is our story. We bring what we have and God makes it more.

More on Duk Soon and her work here and here.