Ritual of Blessing Advent Wreath and Candles

Transcription

1 1 Ritual of Blessing Advent Wreath and Candles - By Rev. Fr. C.A.G. Christopher sss 1. FIRST SUNDAY OF ADVENT Presider: Lord Jesus Christ, you are our Saviour, the true light that has come into our world. At the beginning of this advent season, we ask you to bless this advent wreath which we honour as a remembrance of your first coming at Bethlehem, your coming amongst us in grace, and your final coming in glory. receive you with joy and gladness on the day of our redemption when The wreath is sprinkled with holy water using these or similar words:. Presider: May this sprinkling of the waters of baptism remind us of our first sharing in the life of grace that we may prepare for the Lord s coming now and always. The Presider, or an assistant lights the first candle called the Prophet s Candle, to remind us of the OT prophecies about the Messiah. The people are invited to join in the dialogue responses. V. Lord Jesus you are the light of the world. Come that we may have life in its fullness. R. Come and let your light shine forth in our lives. V. Lord Jesus you are the flower from the root of Jesse, the sign of salvation for all. R. Come and let your light shine forth in our lives. V. Lord Jesus, you were heralded by all the prophets as the one who would save the people from their sins. R. Come let your light shine forth in our lives. Presider: Let us pray that we may take Christ s coming seriously. Father in Heaven, our hearts desire the warmth of your love and our minds are searching for the light of your Son. Increase our longing for Christ our Saviour, and increase our strength of will for doing good, that the day of his coming may find us rejoicing in his presence, where he lives and reigns with you in the Holy Spirit, our god forever and ever.

2 2 2. SECOND SUNDAY OF ADVENT into our world. In this advent season, we ask you to bless all who gather around this wreath which we honour as a remembrance of your first coming at Bethlehem, your coming now amongst us in grace and your final coming in glory. receive you with joy and gladness on the day of our redemption when. The Presider, or an assistant lights the second candle called the Bethlehem Candle, to remind us of the place of the birth of the Messiah. The people are invited to join in the dialogue responses. V. Lord Jesus you are the Saviour of Israel, Emmanuel the God who is with us. V. Lord Jesus you are the one who fulfilled the promise of Micah that out of Bethlehem of Judah, the least of the clans of Israel, would be forth the one who is to rule over Israel. V. Lord Jesus, you are the one who leads the faithful remnant of Israel to fulfillment of the promise. Presider: Let us pray that nothing may hinder us from receiving Christ with joy. God of power and mercy, open our hearts in welcome. Remove the things that hinder us from receiving Christ. May the lure of greed not impede us from the joy which moves the hearts of those who seek him. May the darkness not blind us to the vision of wisdom which fills the minds of those who find him, Jesus Christ your Son who lives with you, and the Holy Spirit, as our God forever and ever.

3 3 3. THIRD SUNDAY OF ADVENT into our world. We ask you to send your blessings on this community who gather around this wreath, which we honour as a remembrance of your first coming at Bethlehem, your coming now amongst us in grace and your final coming in glory. receive you with joy and gladness on the day of our redemption, when. The Presider, or an assistant lights the third candle called the Shepherd s Candle, after the first ones to worship the new born Jesus. The rose colour of the candle matches the colour of the vestments of the day that has as its theme the joy we share in the life of the Lord Jesus. The people are invited to join in the dialogue responses. V. Lord Jesus you are the Good Shepherd who lays down his life for his sheep. R. Come and lead us to the eternal life you promise. V. Lord Jesus you are the Good Shepherd who knows his flock and calls each one by name. S. Come and lead us to the eternal life you promise. V. Lord Jesus, you are the Good Shepherd ready to search out and look for the lost sheep. Israel to fulfillment of the promise. S. Come and lead us to the eternal life you promise. Presider: Let us pray that God will find us with joy at the coming of Christ. Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the whole world rejoices in hope in this time of the Saviour s coming. Prepare our hearts for the joy of his presence with us and remove the blindness that hinders our seeing him as Saviour. As we prepare for the feast of Christmas, may we rejoice in his presence and come to the eternal life with you and the Holy Spirit, where you live and reign as one God for ever and ever.

4 4 4. FOURTH SUNDAY OF ADVENT into our world. We ask you to fill us with your grace and peace as we gather around this wreath, which we honour as a remembrance of your first coming at Bethlehem, your coming now and among us in grace and your final coming in glory. receive you with joy and gladness on the day of our redemption, when. The Presider, or an assistant lights the fourth candle called the Angel s Candle, to remember the heralds of Christ s birth. The people are invited to join in the dialogue responses. V. Lord Jesus, the angel Gabriel announced your coming to the Virgin Mary. V. Lord Jesus, the angels sang at your birth of the peace given to all people who enjoy God s favour. V. Lord Jesus, the angel came to strengthen you in the garden in your time of need. Presider: Let us pray as advent draws to a close that God will come to us. We rejoice in your call to eternal peace that you made known by the message of an angel. As we prepare to celebrate this birth, lead us through the fruits of his suffering and death, to the glory of his resurrection, for he lives and reigns with you in the Holy Spirit, one God forever, and ever.

5 The Blessed Sacrament Scholastics gather around for the blessing of the Advent Wreath. L R : Rev. Bros. Mangal, Emil, Samitha, Chaminda, Anscar, Anthony Marcus, Aruna, Hashendra and Rev. Fr. Ingatius sss, the Scholastic Director. 5