The Advent Wreath: A beautiful and rich symbol of faith.

This weekend, in Churches and homes all over the world, people will bless their Advent Wreath and light the first of its four candles. The symbol of the Advent Wreath is a longstanding tradition that marks our weeks of preparation to celebrate the birth of the Christ-child at Christmas and is full of rich symbolism.  The wreath itself is made of evergreens reminding us of the promise of eternal life even in the depths of winter.  The circle of the wreath, which has neither beginning nor end, symbolises the eternity of God and the gift of eternal life that the Christ-child brings. 

Each week we light one of the four candles of the wreath to proclaim that Jesus is, as St John described him, ‘the light of the world’ leading us and guiding us through every darkness. Three of the candles are purple, which is the colour used in the Church to signify a time of prayer and preparation, as in Lent and Advent.  The pink candle, which is lit on the third Sunday of Advent, represents the great Joy we feel as we draw near to the birth of Jesus.  The purple candles for the other Sundays also each have a special significance and represent the gifts that the Christ-child brings: Hope [1^st Sunday], Faith [2^nd Sunday] and Peace [4^th Sunday]. 

This weekend we pray that the increasing light of our advent wreath each week may enlighten our hearts and minds so that we too might seek to be instruments of faith, hope and peace in our own homes and our communities this Christmas.