LET US PRAY
ADVENT
Lord Jesus, as we enter the season of Advent, allow us to embrace it as a way to prepare for Your arrival. Come to the manger of our hearts. May everything we do – every gift we send, every party we attend, every meal we share – remind us to prepare a space in our heart for You. During this season help us to love more fully. To forgive more generously. To wait more patiently for Christmas, embracing each day and hour knowing the joy that awaits. Lord, send down Your Spirit to guide us during Advent. Surround us with Your presence. Clear our minds of distractions and slow us down. Let us not be in a rush. May the Holy Spirit help us journey closer to You. We may stumble at times, but we know our ultimate journey is to draw closer to You and build Your kingdom here on earth – a kingdom that your birth, life and death helped secure. This Advent season, we especially are in need of peace. War rages on in our world. It impacts the daily lives of millions in different ways. This year, as much as ever, we need you Jesus, Prince of Peace, in our world and in our hearts. We pray that you transform our world as we await your coming again. Jesus, come to the manger of our hearts and dwell within and around us, as we unwrap Your presence each day. Keep us close to you, Lord. It’s in your wonderful name we pray. Amen
What is the meaning of Advent?
The season of Advent begins this Sunday 1st December. It is a season of waiting and expectation for Christmas – a time to remember the birth of Christ, into our lives.
Advent challenges the hectic pace of our lives and It gives us time to prayerfully remember Jesus’s birth. Praying during Advent can help us keep in mind the true purpose of all of the build-up to Christmas.
The term “Advent” comes from the Latin word “arrival.” The holiday’s purpose and meaning are to look ahead to the coming of Christ to Earth, the birth of Jesus. This is really what the Christmas season is all about. It’s the holiday of the ADVENT of a new age in Jesus’ life.
We prepare our homes and hearts for four weeks before Christmas. Advent is also the beginning of a new liturgical season – it concludes a long period of Ordinary Time and leads us into the new church year with hope and patience in preparation for Christmas. It’s a liturgical season highlighted by unique traditions. Perhaps the most popular Advent tradition is the advent wreath, with the Advent candles. During Sundays in Advent, a candle is lit on a wreath to symbolize our journey through Advent as we await Jesus. We pray during Advent that we may open our hearts in love and hope as we await the celebration of Jesus’ birth. It is a special time of the year, a time for hope, peace, joy and love.
The Advent Wreath, Candles and Prayers
During Advent, we prepare for Jesus’ coming who brought Light into the darkness. For four weeks, this is represented by the four candles around the Advent wreath. The Catholic church adopted the tradition of the Advent Wreath during the Middle Ages, as a way to prepare the hearts and minds for Christmas. The word advent itself comes from the Latin word “adventus” meaning “arrival.” We prepare for the arrival of Christ. The wreath itself represents eternity and everlasting life, a circle that never ends (John 3:16).
The four candles of Advent represent the four Sundays of Advent, and they respectively symbolize hope, peace, joy and love. In some homes and parishes, people will also light a fifth candle on Christmas Eve or Christmas Day to represent the birth of Jesus; this candle, when added to the Advent wreath, is typically white and larger than the other candles and is placed in the centre of the wreath.
FIRST WEEK OF ADVENT – CANDLE OF HOPE
Prayer for Hope: Almighty God, grant us the grace to hope in you with unwavering trust. As we begin this season of Advent, may our hearts be filled with the hope that comes from knowing your promises are true. Amen. –
Throughout the first week of Advent, Christians reflect on the theme of hope and the idea that Christ’s coming into the world brings hope to a world in need of salvation. The candle is purple, the primary colour of Advent. Sometimes called the “Prophecy Candle,” it harkens us back to Isaiah’s foretelling of the birth of Christ and all of the promises God gave us in the Old Testament that would be fulfilled by the birth of Jesus. The first candle will be lit on Sunday, December 1st , 2024.
SECOND WEEK OF ADVENT – CANDLE OF PEACE
Prayer for Peace: Prince of Peace, in a world filled with turmoil, grant us the calm that only your peace can bring. Help us to be instruments of reconciliation and harmony in our relationships and communities. Amen.
The second candle on the Advent wreath represents Peace. It is also purple. The peace of God allows us to look at others through heaven’s eyes and help guide the world to see God’s here and not-yet here kingdom. Peace from God, biblical peace, allows us to trust in God’s promises (Proverbs 3:5), through restful, tranquil faith. Often called the “Bethlehem Candle,” it reminds us of Mary and Joseph’s journey from Nazareth to Bethlehem before Mary gave birth to Jesus. Building on the meaning of the Prophecy Candle, this second candle recalls that after all of the division, destruction, and dispersion of the kingdom in the Old Testament, there might finally be peace on Earth – Jesus is coming, and so is his Kingdom of Peace. light of peace shone forth from Bethlehem for all the world. The second candle will be lit on Sunday, December 8, 2024.
THIRD WEEK OF ADVENT – CANDLE OF JOY
Prayer for Joy: Heavenly Father, fill our hearts with the joy that comes from knowing your love. May we rejoice in the good news of salvation and share that joy with others during this season of Advent. Amen.
This third candle of Advent reflects the joy that comes through Jesus’ arrival, and through the salvation he has gifted us. It takes us back to the joyful anticipation of the shepherds who journeyed to see Jesus in Bethlehem, even before the wise men. On this third Sunday of Advent, which the Church calls “Gaudete Sunday,” meaning rejoice or praise, we light the third candle and rejoice like the shepherds. For this reason, the third candle of Advent is called the “Shepherd’s Candle,” to highlight the joy the shepherds experienced when they received the good news about Christ’s birth (Luke 2:8-20). It is pink colour, the liturgical colour for joy. The third candle will be lit on Sunday, December 15th, 2024.
FOURTH WEEK OF ADVENT-CANDLE OF LOVE
Prayer for Love: God of love, as we approach the celebration of the birth of your Son, help us to embody the love that He brought into the world. Teach us to love one another as you have loved us. Amen.
Four candles now decorate the outer edges of the Advent wreath, and one white candle sits in the middle, the Christ candle. In the final week of Advent, churches will light both candles. The fourth candle represents Love, the ultimate love of God that He sent His only Son for us. Called the “Angel’s Candle,” it is lit the Sunday before Christmas, and it is the colour purple, leading us to eagerly await the new Kingdom of God on earth. We fare blessed and our hearts are glad as we seek the joy of Christ’s presence. We are the people, seeking the light and we say, and welcome Christ “Come, Lord Jesus!” The fourth candle is lit on Sunday, 22nd December 2024.
We hope that you can support St Vincent de Paul 2024 Christmas Toy Appeal.
From the social Justice Student Team – Mila, Aishah, Natasha, Mario, Alanna, Liam and Piper
With Christmas almost upon us, we turn our thoughts to ways in which we can share the joy and cheer of the festive season with those among us who are doing it hard during these days of rising costs.
As the community of St Augustine’s we would like to support the organisation with toys for children as our donation. We are inviting and encouraging families to donate a new toy so that every child will have the joy of one on Christmas morning. We trust that the spirit of Christmas that spreads hope, peace and goodwill, inspires your family to give generously. You can send in the toys at any time or bring the toy on the Christmas carols evening. There will be a Christmas tree at the carols for you to put your toy under. If you are sending the toy to school please indicate with a sticker / note that it is for the St Vincent De Paul Toy Drive.
Thank you for your wonderful singing
Tomorrow the students from year 3/4, their teachers, myself and a few other staff members will visit Keilor Retirement Village to sing Christmas carols for the residents. This outreach action was a response to their religious education work during the term. The children have worked extremely hard and are amazing with their singing. We are very proud of them. They will sing many carols and other Christmas songs to entertain the residents. Tomorow our children will make a difference in the lives of the residents.
Christmas Masses and invitation to all children (advanced notice)
Fr Ananda invites all families to attend a Christmas mass. In particular there are two family masses. The family mass at St Augustine’s is on Saturday evening 24th December beginning at 7.00pm. He has invited all children to come dressed as an angel, shephered, Joseph, Mary, king etc. This is a wonderful time of the year and opportuntiy to gather as the families of St Augustine’s to celebrate the birth of Jesus. There is also a family mass and other masses being offered at St Christophers. Please note the following times of all masses.
