Advent

Advent is the season which prepares our hearts for Christmas and starts the liturgical year. It aids in preparing us by giving us a time in the middle of the frenziness of getting ready for the holidays to just calm down and straighten our lives out for the coming of our Savior. If we just jumped right into Christmas it would have no meaning for us whatsoever.

During Advent the priest wears purple except on Gaudete Sunday, the third Sunday, of Advent. On Gaudete Sunday the priest wears rose, or pink, because it is a more joyful color. This makes sense because "Gaudete" means "joyful" or "rejoicing" in Latin. The reason for all this is because Gaudete Sunday marks the halfway point in Advent.

The four Sundays in Advent begin according to when Christmas is. If Christmas is on Monday, the fourth week is a full 7 days, if it's on a Tuesday it's barely nothing.

My favorite part about Advent is the increasing suspense and preparation as we prepare our hearts for the coming of our Savior.

Written by Bookworm

December 14, 2010

unedited by mom