During Advent we spiritually re-live the hopes and expectations of the Old Testament; awaiting the coming Messiah. Many of the ancient prayers of the season start with the invocation ‘Excita Domine!’ literally “Stir up O Lord”; they are an alarm call to awaken us from the sleep of apathy and indifference; a summons to reform and to focus our lives.
Gaudete Sunday introduces the third week of Advent, and it takes its name from the Latin word Gaudete (“Rejoice”). Rose-coloured vestments on that day may be worn instead of purple, that is why Gaudete Sunday is also known as “Rose Sunday”. The readings on the third Sunday emphasize the joyous anticipation of the Lord’s coming.
The third week presents to us the Blessed Virgin Mary as the herald of joy and union with God; her life was completely open to God’s grace. She was a worthy temple to receive the Lord and the means through which he became ‘Emmanuel’ (God with us). Mary accepted God’s will in joyful obedience: “Behold the handmaid of the Lord; let it be done to me according to your word.” She is the personification of the purpose and goal of Advent: to be united with Christ and become sharers in his divine life. “Come Lord Jesus, Son of Mary come to our hearts, be born in us anew!
Beginning from 17th December the Church invokes her Lord with greater intensity; the Great ‘O’ Antiphons, used in the Evening Prayer of the Church, consist mainly of passages from the scriptures, and express the urgent need of humanity for their Saviour, Jesus Christ. Make them part of your prayer as we approach the feast of our Lord’s birth.
17th December: O WISDOM
Come and teach us the way of truth
18th December: O ADONAI [LORD] and Leader of Israel
Come and save us with your mighty power.
19th December: O STOCK OF JESSE
Come, deliver us and do not delay.
20th December: O KEY OF DAVID and sceptre of Israel
Come to lead the captive from prison; free those who sit in darkness and the shadow of death.
21st December: O RISING SUN
Come and enlighten those who sit in darkness and the shadow of death.
22nd December: O KING
Come and save mankind whom you have made of clay.
23rd December: O EMMANUEL
Come and save us, Lord our God.
24th December: Know that today the Lord will come, and in the morning you will see his glory.
In the hustle and bustle of the secular Christmas season, the Catholic Church calls us to prepare our hearts through Advent for Christ’s coming. It is a time to enter into the silence and hope of waiting. Advent is rich in spiritual truths. Christmas trees, lights and decorations seem to show up in stores earlier and earlier. It can be difficult enter into Advent, but a well observed Advent will deepen our joy at Christmas. Advent invites us to pause in silence to understand a presence. It is an invitation to understand that the individual events of the day are hints that God is giving us, signs of the attention he has for each one of us. Pope Benedict XVI said in one of his homilies, “Advent is a time to prepare ourselves for the coming of Christ at Christmas, but also in waiting in alertness for the Second Coming of Our Lord. Advent is a time to look at ourselves and ask if we are truly prepared in heart and mind for the Incarnation. If Christ came again in glory today, would I be ready? Am I a saint?” So now is a good time to make a plan for living Advent fully. But how?
Use Advent to offer your day to God when you get out of bed. Prayer has to be established through habit, just like virtuous living. Make a plan now for prayer time during Advent.
Masses can be celebrated for deceased members of family or friends, thanksgiving, anniversaries, vocations, for the sick and for any particular need. If you would like a Mass said please fill in the Mass envelope at the back of Church and give it to a priest or drop it into the Parish Office. You can also contact the Parish Office directly on Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Fridays from 9am to 2pm.
There is also an old tradition of Gregorian Masses. Gregorian Masses are a series of Holy Masses traditionally offered on 30 consecutive days as soon as possible after a person’s death. They are offered for an individual soul. The custom of offering Gregorian Masses for a particular soul recognises that few people are immediately ready for heaven after death, and that, through the infinite intercessory power of Christ’s sacrifice, made present in Holy Mass, a soul can be continually perfected in grace and enabled to enter finally into the union with the Most Holy Trinity – our God, Who is Love Itself.
Gregorian Masses take their name from Saint Gregory the Great, who was sovereign Pontiff from 590 to 604. St. Gregory the Great contributed to the spread of the pious practice of having these Masses celebrated for the deliverance of the souls from purgatory. In his Dialogues, he tells us that he had Masses on thirty consecutive days offered for the repose of the soul of Justus, a monk who had died in the convent of St. Andrew in Rome. At the end of the thirtieth Mass, the deceased appeared to one of his fellow monks and announced that he had been delivered from the flames of Purgatory.