Week beginning 29th November, 1st Sunday of Advent

St Andrew (Monday 30th) – Brother of St Peter, the first Pope, and one of the twelve Apostles. With Philip he introduced the Gentiles to Christ. Tradition tells us he died on an X-shaped cross. He is Patron Saint of Scotland and Greece.

St Francis Xavier (Thursday 3rd) – a disciples of St Ignatius Loyola and one of the first Jesuits. A great missionary, he brought the faith to India and Japan. He died just off the coast of China in 1552 and is buried in Goa, where his body is much venerated.

St John Damascus (Friday 4th) – one of the great Doctors of the Church, John was surnamed “Damascene”, meaning “the golden speaker”, due to his inspired and beautiful preaching. He was especially eloquent in praise of Our Blessed Lady.

Week beginning 29th November, 1st Sunday of Advent

Sacred Heart: New Evangelisation of the UK
St Joseph: Deacon John Sampson
St John Fisher/St Therese: Sick & Housebound Parishioners
St Thomas More/St Anthony: Parliament & all in authority
Our Lady (Saturday – Monday): Fr Gerald & the Parish of San Raniero
Cure d’Ars: Vocations to the Priesthood

Find out about our Votive Lamps at the Shrines programme.

In the Middle Ages, Advent was often known as ‘St Martin’s Lent’, since it began shortly after the Feast of St Martin of Tours (November 11th) and it shared many of the features of Lent. Nevertheless, Advent is a season of its own, with its own distinct characteristics. Here are some of the features of this time, which help us to enter into the mind of the Church in her liturgy.

The use of purple vestments: Purple is the colour of penance and mortification (hence its use in Lent) but also of expectation and waiting, and so is very appropriate to Advent, when the Church awaits the coming of her Lord. During the first part of Advent our attention is more directed to the Second Coming of Jesus at the end of time – during the later part (especially after 17th December, known as O Sapientia) we focus more on Christ’s first coming at Christmas.

The suppression of the Gloria: The Gloria is above all a Christmas song (it was first sung by the angels over the hills of Bethlehem) and therefore we do not sing it during Advent, when we are waiting for Christ to come. The Gloria will be sing against joyfully for the Christmas Masses of the Vigil and at Midnight.

The Advent Wreath: The wreath of evergreen is decorated with 5 candles – 4 which correspond to the 4 Sundays of Advent, and one for Christmas. Those corresponding to the Advent Sundays match the colour of the vestments – thus 3 are purple and 1 is pink (pink, or more properly rose-coloured vestments, are worn on the Third Sunday of Advent, called Gaudete – ‘rejoice’ Sunday, when we rejoice because the Lord is near). The candle lit during Christmastide is white – the colour of the Christmas vestments.

It is good to enter into the spirit of Advent in our homes as well. Perhaps have a small wreath, or a special candle. Pray the Joyful Mysteries of the Rosary, or read the lessons of daily Mass, which teach us how Jesus came to fulfil all the prophesies of the Old Testament. Lastly, children always enjoy an Advent calendar – but try to find one which tells the story of the Nativity, and not those filled with chocolates – those treats should wait until Christmas!

Today we celebrate the Feast of Christ the King, a feast which brings the Church’s year to a close. It is a beautiful season which awakens fundamental emotions of hope in God and faith in the future. It is a pity that it is such a short season and so often overshadowed by the commercialisation of Christmas. But we should not allow the grace of this season to elude us. The prayers and liturgy of Advent can be a great source of strengthening and of confidence in our Christian lives.

You can read the rest of Archbishop Kevin’s letter by clicking here.

A Prayer for the Feast of Our Lord Jesus Christ, Universal King

Almighty and most merciful God, you break the power of evil and make all things new in your Son Jesus Christ, the King of the universe. May all in heaven and on earth acclaim your glory and never cease to praise you.

Some people might find the readings at Mass this Sunday a little scary. In the Gospel, Jesus paints a dramatic picture of the last days of the world: “…the sun will be darkened, the moon will lose its brightness, the stars will come falling from heaven…“. This echoes the First Reading from the Book of Daniel, which has a similar, apocalyptic tone: “There is going to be a time of great distress, unparalleled since nations first came into existence…“.

These readings serve to remind us of a truth of the faith (and indeed, of the natural sciences): one day, the world will end. But, of course, Jesus’s intention is not to scare us, but rather to remind us of ultimate realities. The most important line in the Gospel today is the last one: “…as for that day or hour, nobody knows it…“. We don’t know when the end of the world will come, and there is most certainly nothing we can do to alter it. Our task is not to waste time worrying about things we cannot change, but rather to ensure we live good Christian lives in the here and now – hence the emphasis in both the First Reading and the Gospel upon Judgement. Our actions have eternal consequences, and this is something we should never forget.

Another truth of faith brought home to us by today’s readings is that, as Christians, the goal of our actions lies not on earth but in heaven – after all, earthly things are passing away, as Jesus’s dramatic teaching emphasises. Schemes to the poor – all these incumbent upon us as duties of charity, but they are not the sum total of our faith. Humanity’s ultimate hope lies not in anything we can do for ourselves, but only in the providence of God – who will act in a way quite sudden and unexpected, and at a time entirely of his own choosing.

Far from being scared by today’s readings we should rejoice that all things, past, present and future are in the hands of God – a fact we shall celebrate again next week, when the Feast of Christ the King brings the Church’s year to its joyful conclusion.