- SYMBOLS - ADVENT   Parents : May you be enriched by what is learnt and transcends this gift of Faith through your sharing with your children and loved ones. SYMBOLS Religious symbols are a means of a visual reminder of the importance of our Faith. It directs us to some spiritual reality with the basic theme of Christianity. Many times, we have seen various Christian symbols; in Church in holy images, sacred vestments and vessels, Christian art etc. All these represent a certain meaning for us as Christians reminding us of our Faith. 'IHS' On a light-hearted note, you may have heard that this three letters is the acronym for `In His Majesty Service’. Actually, it is the monogram for the name of `JESUS’ abbreviated into three Greek letters becoming `IHS’ in Latin used during the Middle Ages. It reminds us of the ever presence of Jesus. There is a well-known story of Constantine’s vision. It was reported that on this particular night, before one of his battles, he saw a luminious cross and heard the words – In hoc signo vinces (In this sign you will conquer). He inscribed the cross and the words on the soldiers shield as his motto. He won the battle and the persecution of the Christians stopped. The acronym which you may have heard in a joking fashion is – I Have Suffered. Other variations are Iesus Hominum Salvator (Jesus Saviour of mankind) and In Hoc Salus (In this cross is salvation). `XP’ `XP’ : `X’ marks the spot where the `P’ – Priest proclaims the Word of God ? Not quite so. Rather, it is the superimpose Greek letters, `CHI’ and `RHO’, which are the first two letters in Greek for `CHRISTOS’. Translated into the English language, it means `CHRIST’ – `The Annointed One’. Sometimes, this symbol can be seen inscribed at the ambo where the Word of God is proclaimed. It reminds us of the richness of the Word of God which we are privilege to receive during the Readings, Gospel, homily as we go to Church to celebrate the Eucharist as a community. THE CRUCIFIX WITH THE SYMBOL `INRI’ Crucifixion is a means of execution of slaves and criminals carried out during the period of the Roman empire. A cruel way to make the person suffer slowly before death sets in. Nails, like that of marine nails six inches or more in length are pierced through the outstretched arms at the metacarpals (wrist) on the horizontal wooden beam. The person is then hoisted up onto the vertical beam where his feet will also be nailed to the vertical beam. As the person gets weaker by the minute being hung on the cross, his body sags thus compressing his diaphragm causing inability to breathe. Coupled with sever torture of scourging, whipping and beatings carried out earlier before the crucifixion, the person experience a slow and painful death on the cross. To ensure that a person is dead while hanging on the cross, the Roman soldiers will break the bones of the legs. If a person is trying to survive and breathe, he will try to pull his body weight upwards from the wrist and push upwards using his nailed feet to allow his diaphragm to expand and breathe. With the breaking of legs, the entire body weight sinks causing total compression of the diaphragm, inability to breathe, and death. “Jesus has already resurrected from the Cross. So why do you Catholics still have your Crosses with the body of Jesus on it ?”. You may come across this often heard question from our non-Catholic brethren. The Crucifix is a fundamental belief of Christianity. Jesus died on the Cross and was raised from the dead. A sign of victory and triumph. His death and resurrection forms the basis of our Faith. Through his death and resurrection, we are given salvation to return to our heavenly Father to live in eternal life. The letters `INRI’ inscribed above the image of the crucified Christ are the first letters of the Latin title written by Pilate: JESUS NAZARENUS REX IUDAEORUM’ meaning `JESUS OF NAZARETH, KING OF THE JEWS’. The Crucifix is more than just having the body of Jesus on the cross representing his death. The deeper meaning is his coming into our midst, dying for us to save us from our sins, rising from the dead to grant us salvation and showing us the way back to our heavenly father – all done for each and everyone whom he loves so much. As his commandment given to us – LOVE ONE ANOTHER AS I HAVE LOVED YOU. SYMBOL OF FISH Besides the common association of the symbol of the fish to Jesus being the fisher of men, this image of the fish with the Greek words in it has the same meaning as the acronym itself. `IXOYC’ are the first letters of five Greek titles for `ICHTHYS’ :- IESOUS CHRISTOS THEOU YIOS SOTER when translated into English will mean : JESUS CHRIST SON OF GOD SAVIOUR ALPHA & OMEGA The two symbols of the `ALPHA’ and the `OMEGA’ are the first and last letters of the Greek alphabet respectively. In the Christian context, the symbol refers to the divinity of Christ who is the beginning and the end of everything. REV I : 8 “I am the Alpha and the Omega,” says the Lord God, “the one who is and who was and who is to come, the almighty.” REV 22 : 13 “I am the Alpha and the Omega, the first and the last, the beginning and the end.”     Parents, as the commercial world begins to bombard you with Christmas shopping spree, free gifts, advertisements, best discounts through the media etc….. we hope you can spare a little time with your children, family members and loved ones to share and reflect what we have provided for you below. We hope you will find this useful in discovering the true meaning in preparing for Christmas. ADVENT Advent comes from the Latin word “adventus” meaning an “arrival” or a “coming”. It is also the Catholic Church’s “New Year’s Day”. On the 1st Sunday of Advent (27th November 2005), we will begin a new liturgical year `B’ in the Catholic Church calendar. Spanning approximately over four weeks, Advent is a time for joyous anticipation and preparation for the coming our Lord, Jesus Christ. LITURGICAL COLOURS DURING ADVENT Different liturgical colours are used during different seasons in the Church’s liturgical year. It is a visual sign for the faithful to be reminded of the meaning and seasons of celebrations. The liturgical colour used during the season of Advent is violet (purple). It is a colour that symbolises penance. Penance because we must strive to be properly disposed of our ‘old self’ and be ready to receive a great gift …… the gift of JESUS himself at Christmas. On the 3rd Sunday of Advent, the liturgical colour of rose is used. Also known as Gaudate Sunday, it is a visual sign to remind the faithful of the nearness of the Lord’s coming. That we continue to persevere in joyous preparation for the coming of Christ. THE IMPORTANCE OF ADVENT Preparation for Christmas is an important theme for Advent. Advent gives us a vision of our lives as Christians. The vision of life is two-fold; it looks back to the first coming of Christ at Bethlehem, and it looks to the future when Christ will come again. In the interval of these two events, we find the meaning for our life as a Christian. First we celebrate Christ-became-human. Christ came to show us the way on how we should live our lives. Showing us the path back to the FATHER. He formed the Church, a Church of believers held together by the greatest commandment - LOVE. When Christ died, he did not abandon us entirely. He remains with us in his Spirit, in the Church, the Sacraments, the Scriptures and in each of us. When Christ comes again, his presence will no longer be hidden behind the signs and symbols of the liturgy or the words of the Scriptures. His presence among us will be revealed in all its fullness and glory, a presence that will never end. The season of Advent brings us the significance of this vision and hope for the future given to us by Christ. It is a time to become more involved, more caught up in the meaning of being a Christian and as a community of believers. Not only are we preparing ourselves for Christmas but also the Second Coming of Christ. Are we prepared for HIS coming?   ADVENT WREATH The Advent Wreath is a symbolism of the advent (means “coming”) of Light into the world. With origins of a European tradition, it is a way to involve everybody (family members and even little children) in learning about Christian preparation – not only for celebrating our Lord’s birth, but to make our hearts truly ready to receive him. Each candle represents the themes of PEACE, JOY, HOPE, LOVE. The gradual lighting of the four candles, one on each Sunday of the Advent season, combined with the liturgical colours of the candles (the colour violet used during Advent and rose colour used during Gaudate Sunday in Advent) help to symbolise not only our joyous anticipation and hope for the birth of our Saviour but also for his Second Coming where he will bring us back to our FATHER in his heavenly kingdom. The wreath itself is symbolic. The circle of evergreens in which the candles are placed represents everlasting life. The seedpods, nuts and cones used to decorate the wreath are symbolic of resurrection, and the fruits represent the nourishing fruitfulness of the Christian life. WHAT YOU CAN DO Beginning from the 1st Sunday of Advent, when the family members gather to partake in the family meal, lit the first violet candle. A family member may lead in a prayer before partaking in the meal. During meal times, encourage the children to reflect the good deeds they have done for others during the week and share with the rest of the family members. As the family meal comes to a close, prayer after meal can be led by a family member while the candle is blown out thereafter. On the 2nd Sunday of Advent, two violet candles are lit. On the 3rd Sunday of Advent, two violet and one rose candle are lit. On the 4th Sunday of Advent, all four candles are lit. Children who are old enough can take turns to light the candles and participate in leading of the prayers. On Christmas Day, all the greens and decorations maybe replaced with fresh ones. You may wish to have an additional white candle in the middle of the wreath, which symbolises Christ. This candle is now lit for the new Christmas season.