THE ADVENT CANDLES?HOPE-PEACE-JOY-LOVE

HOPE-PEACE-JOY-LOVE

By: Professor Ruel Pepa

The joyful season of celebrations commemorating God’s act of salvation by sending His very own Son to this sinful world is fast approaching. Christmas carols are dominating the airwaves again and the traditional practice of decking our halls with Christmas ornaments have already begun. We have never been amiss of the activities pertaining to the holiday festivities that have become an embedded part of our cultural apparatus despite the fact that many of us never really mind how these things all got started in the first place.

For many of us who are still very much closely connected with our Christian rootage, the lighting of the Advent candles of the Advent wreath is a long-running tradition with its history and purpose. It is, therefore, of the essence that we look with deep seriousness the meanings of the Advent candles in the light of our Christian faith heritage. With this goes the hope that this presentation will deepen our understanding of the Advent and enrich the Christmas season as we join hearts in a more spiritual commemoration of our Saviour’s birth.

“THE ADVENT: Advent” is the Anglicized transliteration of the the Latin “adventus” which means “the coming”. As a time period in the Christian calendar, it is a 24-day season heading up to Christmas. A deeper understanding of the Advent leads us to the notion that it doesn’t only symbolize the waiting and anticipation for the Messiah’s birth but also for His Second Coming to establish the Kingdom of Heaven on earth.

In the context of the traditional Church, the trajectory of the observance of Advent culminates on Christmas Eve. The significance of the season of Advent is symbolic of how we Christians anticipate and prepare for the coming of Jesus Christ. Advent gives us the prayerful moments to thoughtfully reflect on the story of the Messiah’s birth and how it affects the world’s frenzied and fast-rolling celebrations characterized by materialistic activities aimed at self-satisfaction and bacchanalian pleasure.

Traditionally, Advent celebration runs through four consecutive Sundays heading toward Christmas. It is generally marked by a Scripture reading and a devotional reflection on each of the four Sundays. But the more spiritually inspired Christians see to it that they individually get into a schedule of daily Scripture reading and devotional reflection within the period that covers the four Sundays in order to further deepen their spiritual signification of Jesus’ birth.

THE ADVENT WREATH: is regarded as the most important centerpiece of the objects used in the celebration of the Advent season. It is in circular form surrounded by evergreen boughs holding four or five advent candles that serve as an Advent calendar marking each of the Sundays that lead up to Christmas day. Every Sunday within the season is signified by the lighting of a candle along with those that were lit in the past Sundays. The lighting of every advent candle commemorates the different aspects of the Christmas narrative.

The Advent candles placed and lit within the wreath are in distinct colors that speak of their meanings depending on denominational traditions. The most commonly used color is purple for three Advent candles and pink in another candle. Moreover, one common feature of the Advent wreath is a fifth Advent candle in white placed in the middle and lit on Christmas Eve.

THE FIVE CANDLES: Let us look into the meanings of the Advent candles in the light of what the Bible says. As we celebrate Advent, we focus our minds on each of the five candles we lit. Four of them are colored and signify certain interpretations to each of them. At this point, let’s begin to explore the most classical meanings the the season commemorates.

THE FIRST CANDLE represents HOPE that emanates from what God has been doing to our lives and more importantly what He will sooner or later do for the sake of humanity. The most important focal point of Christian hope is directed toward the coming day when Christ returns to reign in His Kingdom–the Kingdom of Heaven–on earth for “a thousand years”. Looking back to the time of the Old Testament prophets, the candle of Hope, also called the Prophet’s candle, reminds us of how the faithful segment of God’s people relentlessly hope for the fulfillment of all His promises spoken through the prophets as we find it in 2 Chronicles 7:14: “If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.” (KJV). As Christians, we traditionally read Isaiah 9:6-7 to celebrate the first week of Advent: “For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.” and how it is quoted in Matthew 1:22 in the New Testament.

THE SECOND CANDLE is the Peace candle–also known as Bethlehem candle–is the second candle of Advent. Through the second candle, we meditate on the promise of peace in the birth of Jesus and the faithfulness of the important people surrounding this event: the Virgin Mary and Joseph, Elizabeth and Zechariah, and John the Baptizer who took the role of preparing the way for the coming of the Messiah. When the Peace candle is lit, we join in the celebration of the restoration of creation and the power of Shalom as it is projected by His faithful people on earth, the very agents of God’s peace tasked to spread the Good News of His salvation in all corners of the world. Traditionally, the second candle of Advent is lit while reading John 3:16 followed by the account of Mary and Joseph’s arrival in Bethlehem and lastly, the birth of John the Baptizer.

THE THIRD CANDLE represents the Joy candle. In the traditions where the color of the three Advent candles is purple, and one is pink, the third candle is pink. Advent’s third week is a celebration of the joy of Christmas that specifically points to the announcement of Jesus’ natal day by the angels and the shepherds. It is them who joyfully invite us to “Give glory to God in the Highest”. They likewise inspire our souls to express gratitude for the miracle of Christmas. The highlight of this event is the joyful response of the shepherds in the Christmas story that points to the dynamic element of Jesus’ birth that quickens our spirit. Tradition recommends that when lighting the third Advent candle, we should devote some reflective moments to meditate on the Virgin Mary’s person and special role throughout the Christmas story. This event is therefore made more meaningful by reading the Magnificat or Mary’s song of joy. It is an invitation for us to ponder with Mary the mystery and wonder of her son’s birth. As she expresses the joy that fills her heart, we join her in harmony with her song.

THE FOURTH CANDLE is the Love candle is how we call the fourth Advent candle. The very central point of the Messiah’s birth story is Love. What we see at this point in time is the preponderance of love in Mary’s affection toward her son as well Elizabeth and Zechariah’s love for each other. And we should not forget the love shown by John the Baptizer, the respect and love displayed by the Magi and the Shepherds for the newborn Messiah, and most importantly, the love of God for the world. In line with the lighting of the Love candle of Advent, it is traditional to read and meditate on Luke 2:11 and Joh 1:14-16. The fourth Sunday of Advent recognizes the coming of Jesus with thankfulness and praises.

THE FIFTH & FINAL CANDLE: Lastly, the Christ candle is the fifth and final candle of Advent. We don’t always find this fifth candle in all Advent wreaths which is a white candle placed at the center of the wreath and lit on Christmas Eve or Christmas Day. It is a celebration of the arrival of the event we have been anticipating. The birth of Jesus is finally realized and the season of waiting is finished. The lighting of the Christ candle reminds us of God’s Light that unquenchably shines when darkness tries to invade our lives. In this sense, we therefore have one eternal source of hope, peace, joy, and love that will always light our lives as we continue to be faithful in Him.

CONCLUSION: Celebrating the season of Advent gives us His children the opportunity to signify the Christmas season with an exceeding sense of spiritual delight. During this season, we meditate on the mystery of God’s power as Christmas reminds us that the Messiah’s birth has an authentic and unending impact upon us His very own people.

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