As we begin the new liturgical year with the season of Advent, it is fitting to reflect on the symbolism of the Advent wreath in the light of today’s scriptural readings and hope to open our minds and hearts to this season’s invitation to intensify our longing for the coming of our Lord, our Saviour, our King.
The Advent Wreath.
The symbolism of the Advent wreath is beautiful. The Advent wreath is a
circular garland of evergreen branches that represents the eternity of God.
On the branches of the wreath, four
candles are set to represent the four weeks of Advent. Three purple candles and one pink candle are
normally used. Purple is the color of royalty and penance. Hence, reminding us
of the coming of the King and of the penitential aspect of the preparation. The
pink candle symbolizes and anticipates the joy of Christmas as this is lit on
the third Sunday of Advent, the Gaudete Sunday (Sunday of Rejoicing). Optionally, a white candle, called the “Christ
candle,” is set in the center of the wreath representing Christ, the sinless
and spotless Saviour of the world. This
candle is lit on the eve of Christmas.
Taken as a whole, the Advent wreath is a symbol that
calls to mind the long period of time when people lived in spiritual darkness,
waiting for the promised Messiah, for the dawning of the Light of the world.
Each year in Advent, people wait once again in darkness for the coming of the
Lord—His historical coming in the mystery of Bethlehem, His final coming at the
end of time, and His special coming in every moment of grace.
Period of
Spiritual Darkness. The joy of the
anticipation of the break of dawn is greatest when people have had enough of
the fear and insecurity of the darkness of the night.
The period of spiritual darkness represents the life of the
people without God or away from God. The
first reading (Is 63:16-17, 19b; 64:2-7) recounts how the Prophet Isaiah calls
on God to “rend the heavens and come down” for God is believed to have hidden
his face from his sinful and guilt-ridden people. The people of Israel, after
having been restored to their homeland from Babylonian captivity, have again
reverted to their sins of infidelity to God.
Isaiah has seen the depth of the spiritual darkness that
has overtaken the people of Israel because of their sins. Thus, the prophet
prays: “Would that you might meet us
doing right, that we were mindful of you in our ways! Behold, you are angry,
and we are sinful; all of us have become like unclean men, all our good deeds
are like polluted rags; we have all withered like leaves, and our guilt carries
us away like the wind” (vv. 4-5)
This state of sinfulness prompted the prophet to invoke
God’s intervention in history to change the heart of a senseless people. God is their only hope. The responsorial
psalm expresses this: “Lord, make us turn to you; let us see your face and we
shall be saved.” God’s intervention is the people’s only salvation from the
darkness of their sins.
We too have some moments of darkness in life. Even the great saints had to endure some
“dark night of the soul.” Perhaps, God
allows this period of doubts, of hopelessness, or of spiritual drought so that
we may discover on our own, as we hit the rock bottom of our senselessness,
that God is our only salvation. In him alone is our hope. His light is our only
way out from the dark pit of the night. Hence,
our hearts long for Him who is our light and salvation as the night yearns for
the break of dawn.
Longing for the
Light of Christ. Gathering round the
advent wreath to light a candle each day dramatizes our longing for the light
of Christ. We are a people who have had
enough of the dark. But left alone, we are
doomed. We have been enslaved by the
power of sin. We need Jesus Christ to
free us from its deadly clutches. Advent
is the season when we knock on heaven’s door with a singular and urgent petition:
“Come, Lord Jesus. And do not delay!” “Maranatha!”
Again, each year during the season of Advent we focus our
awareness to the coming of our Lord. We
make as our own the expectation and hope of the people that have characterized
Jesus’ historical coming in the mystery of Bethlehem, we heighten our
anticipation for His final coming at the end of time, and we sensitize our
hearts for His special coming in every moment of grace.
Hence, today’s gospel reading (Mk. 13:33-37) is but a
practical reminder, as we begin the season of Advent, to be watchful so that we
may not be caught sleeping when the Lord comes.
We light each candle for each of the four weeks of Advent
as our gesture of staying awake and watchful, ever mindful of the coming of our
Lord-- be it his indwelling in our hearts each day or his final coming as our
Judge and Saviour. And of course, for each candle we light, our hearts grow in
anticipation of a beautiful celebration of Christmas, the commemoration of the coming
our Lord in history.
As families and communities, let us then welcome the Light
of our salvation, our only hope, the only power who can dispel the darkness
that has shrouded our lives. Let this beautiful story of salvation be the story
of our own families and communities. Let
this story of hope unfold once again as we gather round the Advent wreath.
