Seasons & Saints is a weekly devotional blog by the Reverend Susan Montague Koyle Drawing on liturgical notes and the commemorations of the saints, Rev. Susan offers teaching and inspiration for Anglicans across Algoma and beyond.
A Liturgical Note for You
Let’s Talk About That Wreath Again…
You’ll remember that, despite widespread practice to the contrary, the Advent wreath was created for home devotion — simply to mark the passage of the weeks of Advent — and is not intended to be the focus of a small “mini-rite” within our Sunday morning liturgies.
Please try to let go of the familiar:
“But we’ve always done it this way…”
I’ve attached an Advent Gathering Rite (which replaces everything up to the Proclamation of the Word) that you’re welcome to use. If you’re worried about not having a young person read something about the wreath each Sunday, or if you’ll miss singing a children’s song like Light One Candle, have no fear…
A young person can still light the appropriate number of candles before the liturgy begins, and young people may also serve as cantors for the Gathering Rite I’ve provided.
What Do the Candles Mean?
Quite simply:
They mark the weeks — a kind of Advent calendar without the chocolates — as we await the return of the Light of the World, Jesus Christ.
But we humans love to attach deeper meaning to things, and over the years, many traditions have developed to explain each candle:
- Week 1: The Patriarchs
- Week 2: The Prophets
- Week 3: John the Baptist
- Week 4: The Virgin Mary
Or:
- Hope
- Peace
- Love
- Joy
Or a blending of the two.
Assigning a particular meaning to each candle, however, actually defeats the transformative power of the symbols we use in our liturgies. Symbols speak more deeply and more personally than fixed “definitions.” They meet people in different places, in different circumstances, and in different needs.
So let the flickering, glowing light of the candles speak for themselves into the hearts of the gathered community — those gathered in the presence of God, in God’s kingdom, to worship.
Why Is One Candle Pink?
As I mentioned before, we love to attach extra meaning to things — so many people associate the pink candle with the Virgin Mary (pink for girls? 😊).
The pink candle, though, was originally the Roman Catholic Church’s way of giving clergy and congregations a brief reprieve from the penitential character of Advent (similar to Laetare Sunday in Lent).
The Third Sunday of Advent is called Gaudete Sunday
(pronounced “go-day-tay,” meaning Rejoice),
named for the first word of the Introit:
Gaudete in Domino semper — “Rejoice in the Lord always.”
Although the Church today largely no longer treats Advent as a penitential season, we’ve kept the pink candle as a remnant of that tradition.
But you don’t need a pink candle at all.
Your wreath can be:
- All purple
- All blue
- With or without a central white Christ Candle
Any of these are perfectly acceptable.
For Your Devotions
Monday, December 1 (transferred from Sunday) – St. Andrew the Apostle
Andrew’s Greek name means “manly.” In the Synoptic Gospels, Andrew and his brother Peter are called to “fish for people.”
Tradition says he was martyred on an X-shaped cross, which is why the Scottish flag bears that shape.
More: https://www.britannica.com/biography/Saint-Andrew
Wednesday, December 3 – Francis Xavier, Missionary to the Far East (d.1552)
Born into nobility, Francis studied in Paris where he shared a room with Ignatius of Loyola — who recruited him as one of the first seven Jesuits. Francis’ missionary work led him through India and Japan, and he is said to have baptized around 30,000 people.
He died of fever at age 46 while attempting to reach China.
More: https://www.britannica.com/biography/Saint-Francis-Xavier
Thursday, December 4 – Nicholas Ferrar, Deacon (d.1637)
Founder of the religious community at Little Gidding, which flourished in prayer and Gospel living even though its buildings were falling apart when Ferrar’s family first arrived.
The community’s devotion inspired T. S. Eliot, whose final poem in Four Quartets is titled Little Gidding.
More: http://justus.anglican.org/resources/bio/295.html
Friday, December 5 – Clement of Alexandria (d. ~210)
Born to pagan parents, Clement became a leading Christian thinker in Alexandria. He refuted Gnostic heresies, though his use of Greek philosophical ideas caused some to question his orthodoxy.
His writings helped set the stage for the rise of Egyptian monasticism.
More: https://www.britannica.com/biography/Saint-Clement-of-Alexandria
In Christ,
Rev. Susan Montague Koyle