November 27th

First Sunday of Advent
November 27, 2022
Mr. Ohizu: Campus

The Meaning of Advent and the Accompanying Symbols

Advent, which begins the Church’s liturgical year A, began today Sunday,
November 27, 2022. The Year A liturgical year will continue through December 2,
2023. Advent encompasses the four Sundays and weekdays leading up to the
celebration of Christmas.
Advent is a four-week liturgical period when with hearts and minds renewed, we
anticipate the fulfillment of God’s promise to be with us always. The Advent
season is also a time of preparation for our hearts and minds for the anniversary of
the Lord’s birth on Christmas. Jesus is the Emmanuel spoken by the prophets and
angels who will bring us joy and peace. Jesus Christ will call us out of darkness
into his wonderful light.
At Holy Cross Catholic High School, we celebrate Advent by putting up an Advent
Wreath and lighting candles each week. Our Advent Wreath is located right near
the altar, and both staff and students are encouraged to look at it and contemplate
the meaning of Advent.
The use of the wreath and candles during Advent are a longstanding Catholic
tradition that was originally adopted by Christians in the Middle Ages as part of
their spiritual preparation for Christmas.
The wreath and candles are full of symbolism tied to the Christmas season. The
wreath itself, which is made of various evergreens, signifies continuous life. 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 we find in Christ.
Even the individual evergreens that make up the wreath have their own meanings
that can be adapted to our faith. The laurel signifies victory over persecution and
suffering. The pine, holly, and yew signify immortality and the cedar signifies
strength and healing. The pinecones that decorate the wreath symbolize life and
resurrection. The wreath as a whole is meant to remind us of both the immortality
of our souls and God’s promise of everlasting life to us through Christ.
The candles also have their own special significance. The four candles represent
the four weeks of Advent, and one candle is lit each Sunday. Three of the candles

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are purple because the color violet is a liturgical color that signifies a time of
prayer, penance, and sacrifice.
The first candle, which is purple, symbolizes hope. It is sometimes called the
“Prophecy Candle” in remembrance of the prophets, especially Isaiah, who
foretold the birth of Christ. It represents the expectation felt in anticipation of the
coming of the Messiah.
The second candle, also purple, represents faith. It is called the “Bethlehem
Candle” as a reminder of Mary and Joseph’s journey to Bethlehem.
The third candle is pink and symbolizes joy. It is called the “Shepard’s Candle,”
and is pink because rose is a liturgical color for joy. The third Sunday of Advent is
Gaudete Sunday and is meant to remind us of the joy that the world experienced at
the birth of Jesus, as well as the joy that the faithful have reached the midpoint of
Advent.
On the fourth week of Advent, we light the final purple candle to mark the final
week of prayer and penance as we wait for the birth of our Savior. This final
candle, the “Angel’s Candle,” symbolizes peace. It reminds us of the message of
the angels: “Peace on Earth, Good Will Toward People who inhabit the earth.”
Though the Holy Cross wreath does not include a white candle, this is a tradition
that has become popular in modern day adaptations.
The white candle is placed in the middle of the wreath and lit on Christmas Eve.
This candle is called the “Christ Candle” and represents the life of Christ. The
color white is for purity—because Christ is our sinless, pure Savior.
Celebrating Advent is an excellent way to prepare your mind and heart for
Christmas. For us believers, the season of Advent is really about anticipation and
incarnation, light illuminating darkness, and God coming near. We know what
time it is. Make this Advent a genuine celebration of hope.

Reflection
During this year’s Advent season, Holy Cross Catholic High School community will
continue with our tradition of writing Advent reflections based on the liturgical
readings for each day of Advent. Each reflection will be shared with our school during
Chapel every weekday. The reflections will be posted here on our website daily. We
encourage you to visit our website every morning to access the reflections written by
students, staff, and board members. Moreover, during this Advent season, we as a

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Holy Cross Catholic High School community will use reflections on the Theological
Virtues of Faith, Hope and Charity to understand what it means to wait on the coming
of the Lord. Once every week, we will gather in the Chapel and reflect on each of the
theological virtues and explore how the help us in that waiting for the Lord. If there
was ever a perfect time to reflect on hope, expectations, and our readiness to receive
our Savior once more in our lives, this is the time. Are we ready to welcome the Lord
as he comes to us?
After these years of Covid-19, the ongoing war in Ukraine, hurricanes, natural
disasters, mass shootings, death and people who may just feel hopeless, the good news
is that Jesus comes with hope. We should be ready to walk in this hope which will
light our way to peace. The scriptures remind us that we must be prepared. God’s
kingdom is established among us. Do we recognize it? Throughout this Advent
season, the scriptures will speak volumes about how people can become distracted
and unprepared as we wait for the day of the Lord.
This is the first Sunday of the new liturgical year. Advent is a time of hopeful
expectation. During this season we reflect on Jesus’ birth and his second coming. This
is a time to allow our hearts and minds to become focused on encountering Jesus who
is God’s gift to the entire world.
We know that the Lord is coming, and I pray for patience as we wait. Watchful and
ready may we together say, Maranatha, Come, Lord Jesus!