LIDE LEARNING CENTER, INC.

Isabel, Leyte

First Week of Advent

(November 29, 2005)

I. Introduction:

During the season of Advent, we recall the time, when the people awaited the
fulfillment of God’s promise to send a Savior. In the same way that they prepared for the
coming of the Savior, so do we prepare for the coming of Jesus into our lives.

How do we prepare for Jesus coming? We prepare our wholebeing for Him by
turning away from our sins and by being more concerned about the needs of others first
through our loving and humble service to God and neighbor. We celebrate the season of
Advent four weeks before Christmas. The liturgical color is violet which symbolizes
Hope.

The Advent Wreath Ceremony is a simple prayer. It started at the evening meal on
the Saturday before the first Sunday of Advent with the blessing of the wreath. This
celebration continues throughout the entire four weeks of the Advent season with the
lighting of the candles and the recitation of prayers.

Each night before supper, or during the family’s usual prayer hour, the members of
the family gather around the Advent wreath. They take turns lighting the candles. Each
evening of the first week, one candle is lit. A second one is lit during the second week.
On the third week of the Advent, three candles are lit. On the fourth week, the family
lights all the four candles on the wreath. Singing appropriate songs while the candles
lighted.

The prayers are then said after the lighting of the candles. The head of the
household is ordinarily the one who leads the prayers, although the other members of the
family may take turns at this. The members of the family may also add their own prayers.

If the family so wishes, it may start the evening prayer with a Bible reading. A
sharing of insights by the members of the family may follow.

After the prayers are said, the candle’s flame is put off. But the members of the
family keep the light of love in their hearts as they share the evening meal together.

II. Lighting of the Advent Wreath Candle.

Let’s look at our wreath now and see how it is made and why it is made that way.
These reminds us that God’s love for us never changes no matter how grievous our sins
are.

Green – symbolizes life, that if we turn away from our sins and go back to Jesus
Christ we will be truly happy.

The wreath is in a circle because a circle has no beginnings and no end. This tells
us that God is eternal – like the circle. “I am the Alpha and the Omega.” It reminds us
that He keeps loving us that we, should always love Him.
 The four candles represent the four weeks of preparations before Jesus will be
born. The color violet represents sorrow. The pink or rose candles mean joy or happiness
that Jesus will be coming to us again at Christmas.

When we light the candles, this stands for Jesus being the light of the world. His
teachings are our guiding light. If we listen with Him forever.

We will use our wreaths everyday to help bring us closer to God and to make us
more loving children of God.

Our theme for this first week of Advent is “Expectation.” When you expect
something to happen, you wait for it to happen. We are waiting for Christ to come to us.
We have much time to prepare for His coming. To prepare our hearts and souls.

From the darkness of hundreds of years, there is a faint voice of someone in the
wilderness calling, “I come.” In the four weeks of Advent the cry becomes louder and
louder and our waiting should be more and more filled with expectations and hope. Only
as the light of promise, hope and faith which streams from Bethlehem fills our minds and
hearts shall we know the meaning and reality of Christmas.

Commentator: Lord open my lips.

Assembly: And my mouth will proclaim your praise.
Commentator: Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit
Assembly: As it was in the beginning is now and will be forever. Amen.
Commentator: Please stand…. Let us sing our Entrance Hymn….
Entrance Hymn………………..
Opening Prayer:
God of mercy and consolation,
help us in our weakness and free us from sin.
Hear our prayers
that we may rejoice at the coming of your Son,
who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,
one God, for ever and ever.

Psalm 24
The Lord’s entry into his temple
Christ opened heaven for us in the manhood he assumed (Saint Irenaeus).

The Lord’s is the earth and its fullness,

the world and all its peoples.
It is he who set it on the seas;
on the waters he made it firm.

Who shall climb the mountain of the Lord?

Who shall stand in his holy place?
The man with clean hands and pure heart,
who desires not worthless things,
who has not sworn so as to deceive his neighbor.
 He shall receive blessings from the Lord
and reward from the God who saves him.
Such are the men who seek him,
seek the face of the God of Jacob.

O gates, lift high your heads;

grow higher, ancient doors.
Let him enter, the king of glory!

Who is the king of glory?

The Lord, the mighty, the valiant,
the Lord, the valiant in war.

O gates, lift high your heads;

grow higher, ancient doors.
Let him enter, the king of glory!

Who is he, the king of glory?

He, the Lord of armies,
he is the king of glory.

Leader: Glory be to the Father …

Assembly: As it was in the beginning is now and will be forever. Amen.
Leader: O Lord, in your light we see light itself.

Commentator: Please sit down…..

A. First Reading
A reading from the book of the prophet Isaiah 11: 1 – 10
The Spirit of the Lord God shall rest upon him.

On that day,
A shoot shall sprout from the stump of Jesse,
and from his roots a bud shall blossom.
The Spirit of the LORD shall rest upon him:
a Spirit of wisdom and of understanding,
A Spirit of counsel and of strength,
a Spirit of knowledge and of fear of the LORD
and his delight shall be the fear of the LORD.
Not by appearance shall he judge,
nor by hearsay shall he decide,
But he shall judge the poor with justice,
and decide aright for the land’s afflicted.
He shall strike the ruthless with the rod of his mouth,
and with the breath of his lips he shall slay the wicked.
Justice shall be the band around his waist,
and faithfulness a belt upon his hips.

Then the wolf shall be a guest of the lamb,

and the leopard shall lie down with the kid;
The calf and the young lion shall browse together,
with a little child to guide them.
The cow and the bear shall be neighbors,
 together their young shall rest;
the lion shall eat hay like the ox.

The baby shall play by the cobra’s den,

and the child lay his hand on the adder’s lair.
There shall be no harm or ruin on all my holy mountain;
for the earth shall be filled with knowledge of the LORD,
as water covers the sea.

On that day,
The root of Jesse,
set up as a signal for the nations,
The Gentiles shall seek out,
for his dwelling shall be glorious.

Leader: The word of the Lord.

Assembly: Thanks be to God.

Commentator: Please stand to honor the Holy Gospel.

B. A reading from the Gospel of St. Luke 10: 21 – 24.

Jesus rejoices in the Holy Spirit

Jesus rejoiced in the Holy Spirit and said, “I give you praise, Father, Lord of
heaven and earth, for although you have hidden these things from the wise and the
learned you have revealed them to the childlike. Yes, Father, such has been your
gracious will. All things have been handed over to me by my Father. No one knows
who the Son is except the Father, and who the Father is except the Son and anyone to
whom the Son wishes to reveal him.”

Turning to the disciples in private he said, “Blessed are the eyes that see what you
see. For I say to you, many prophets and kings desired to see what you see, but did not
see it, and to hear what you hear, but did not hear it.”

Leader: The Gospel of the Lord.

Assembly: Praise to you Lord Jesus Christ.

C. Intercessions:

Leader: For every petition let your response be “Lord, may your kingdom come.”
Please repeat “Lord, may your kingdom come.”

Leader: Lord, grant that our works of penance may please you,
– and that we may be ready for your kingdom which is so near.

Response: Lord, may your kingdom come.

Leader: Prepare a path in our hearts for the coming of your Word,
– and let his glory be revealed among us.

Response: Lord, may your kingdom come.

Leader: Bring low the mountains of our pride,
 – and fill up the valleys of our weakness.

Response: Lord, may your kingdom come.

Leader: Break down the wall of hatred that divides the nations,
– and make level for mankind the paths to peace.

Response: Lord, may your kingdom come.

Leader: Let us have a moment of silence for our own personal intentions. (1 minute)

Leader: Gathering our prayers together let us pray the Our Father . . . . . .

Leader: Our Father……..

D. Closing Prayer:

Leader: God of mercy and consolation,

help us in our weakness and free us from sin.
Hear our prayers
that we may rejoice at the coming of your Son,
who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,
one God, for ever and ever.

E. Closing Hymn:

F. Mary and Joseph . . . . . Pray for us.

Live Jesus in our hearts. . . Forever…..