#CarmelAdvent–First Week, Hope

Saturday, November 28th, 2015

Preparing for Christmas is all about making ourselves ready to celebrate the moment in which God became one of us in the form of an infant born 2000 years ago. Derived from the Latin word adventus, we literally prepare for the “coming” of Christ this season. Often we are so bombarded with messages that encourage us to prepare commercially for the holiday–what to buy etc–that we neglect to prepare ourselves spiritually.

We’d like to remedy that this season by offering our online community the opportunity to enter into the Advent spiritual experience more fully. Each of the four weeks in Advent center around a specific theme: Hope, Peace, Joy and Love. Throughout the season–with the help of young Carmelite brothers in formation Manu Franco, Kevin Keller and Neil Conlisk–we will be offering our online community the opportunity to reflect individually and together on each of these themes through the wisdom of the great spiritual masters of the Carmelite tradition.

Don’t have an Advent wreath to light this season? No problem, we’ve even provided that for you as well through brief candle-lighting videos.

We encourage you to share your reflections with the community by using #CarmelAdvent or the hashtags for specific weeks–#CarmelHope etc. You can use the hashtags on any of our online media platforms (Carmelites.net, Facebook, Twitter etc). We will compile the best reflections from the community and add them to our honor roll each week.

A Rite for the Beginning of Advent
Traditionally, the wreath is made of four candles in a circle of evergreens. Three candles are violet and the fourth is rose. 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 fifth candle, which is white and called the Christ candle, may be placed in the center of the Advent Wreath and lit on Christmas Eve.

A short prayer may accompany the lighting.

Gather around the Advent Wreath
For each of the four Sundays of Advent the new Advent Candle, beginning with the First Sunday of Advent on November 28th/29th will be lit.

LEADER: As our nights grow longer and our days grow short,
we look on these earthly signs – light and green branches -
and remember God’s promise to our world:
 Christ, our Light and our Hope, will come. 
Listen to 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;
 They rejoice in your presence
 as those who rejoice at harvest,
 as warriors exult when dividing spoil. Is. 9:1-2

This prayer may be said every time the candles are lit. The following antiphon is prayed as a response.
O Come, O Come Emmanuel

LEADER: O God,
 rejoicing,
 we remember the promise of your Son. 
As the light from this candle,
 may the blessing of Christ come upon us,
 brightening our way
 and guiding us by his truth.
 May Christ our Savior bring life
 into the darkness of our world, 
and to us, as we wait for his coming. 
We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen

FIRST WEEK: The Prophets’ Candle – The Candle of HOPE
The first candle is sometimes called the candle of prophecy because it symbolizes the promises the prophets delivered as messages from God; promises that foretold Christ’s birth. Others consider the candle to be a symbol of the hope we have in Christ and so it is called the Hope candle.

Then the first candle is lit. If you don’t have a candle, we invite you to use the candle-lighting video here:

SHARE WITH OUR ONLINE COMMUNITY:
What does “Advent Hope” mean to you? Share your reflections with the community by using #CarmelAdvent or the #CarmelPrays, #CarmelHope. You can use the hashtags on any of our online media platforms (comment below on Carmelites.net, Facebook, Twitter etc). We will compile the best reflections from the community and add them to our honor roll each week.

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