Today we will go through the prayer of the Rosary and pray it together. Below are some helpful guides to build your understanding of the prayer of the Rosary:
Watch: Easy way/s to pray the Rosary (Fr Mike Schmitz)
Watch commentaries on each of the mysteries of the Rosary here.
The Season of Advent: You may have noticed when you went to church recently that the priest is now wearing purple vestments and that a candle was lit on a wreath during Mass. We have now entered the season of Advent, which is a 4 week preparation for the season of Christmas. Advent is the beginning of our liturgical year.
During Advent we are reminded to prepare and wait for the time when Jesus will return at the end of time. The Gospels during the first 3 Sundays of Advent remind us to get ourselves ready because we do not know the day or hour when this will happen. It is also a reminder to prepare ourselves to receive Jesus in our own hearts daily. Finally, from the 17th of December onwards, we recall the events that lead us to the Nativity (birth) of Jesus.
The picture above is an Advent Wreath. Each church has one and also this is something you can put together at home. The wreath is a circle of evergreens with 4 candles. 3 that are purple, 1 that is pink.
The circle reminds us of the Eternity of God
The evergreens symbolise life and immortlity
The 4 candles represent the 4 Sundays in Advent.
The purple candles remind us of the themes of prayer, penance and preparation
The pink (rose) candle is a sign of rejoicing.
Starting from the 1st Sunday of Advent, a purple candle is lit. On the 2nd Sunday of Advent two purple candles are lit. On the 3rd Sunday of Advent 2 purple candles and the pink candle are lit. On the final Sunday of Advent, the Sunday before Christmas day, all candles are lit.
Here is a video series on How to Advent
Christmas time: Christmas time does not begin and end with Christmas day but carries on to Sunday the 11th of January when we celebrate the Baptism of Jesus. I know that some places have had Christmas decorations up since October, but traditionally Christmas decorations/trees etc are put up closer to Christmas. Some people even wait until Christmas Eve! It is also traditional to leave the Christmas decorations up until the end of the Christmas season.
It is great to have an Advent Wreath in your own home, and a Christmas Tree of course. You might also like to have a Nativity scene too. I keep the baby Jesus hidden until Christmas Day and I also have the three wise men on a journey towards the Nativity scene until we celebrate the Feast of the Epiphany on January 4th.