The word “Advent” comes from the Latin word “adventus” which means “a coming, approach, arrival”. When we expect guests to arrive at our homes, we turn the lights on; we anticipate their arrival and welcome them with joy. In Advent, we prepare our homes and churches as we joyfully anticipate His arrival, and the light also gets brighter as we near Christmas day, the day on which the Light of the World was born. St. Gregory of Nyssa wrote, “Today, the darkness begins to grow shorter and the light to lengthen, as the hours of light become fewer. Do you see that the beams of light are more intense and the sun higher than it has been? Realize that the true light is now here and, through the rays of the Gospel, is illuminating the whole earth”.
Advent wreaths and candles are commonly seen in Catholic churches during the liturgical season. Many people also display Advent wreaths in their homes and light a candle each Sunday as families.
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.
Advent candle weeks, names & colours
Advent week 1 – Hope: Prophecy Candle (purple)
Advent week 2 – Peace: Bethlehem Candle (purple)
Advent week 3 – Joy: Shepherd’s Candle (pink)
Advent week 4 – Love: Angel’s Candle (purple)
First Advent Candle/Sunday: Hope
the first candle on the Advent wreath represents Hope. The first Sunday of Advent not only leads us to anticipate the birth of Christ but celebrate the beginning of a new liturgical season as well. The first candle is purple, the primary colour of Advent and a colour symbolizing royalty. Sometimes called the “Prophecy Candle”, the first candle 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.
Second Advent Candle/Sunday: Peace
The second candle on the Advent wreath represents Peace. Like the first candle, it is also purple. Often called the “Bethlehem Candle”. The second Advent candle 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. Pope Francis in one of his homily states that, this light of peace has shone forth from Bethlehem for all the world.
Third Advent Candle/Sunday: Joy – “Gaudete Sunday”
The third candle of Advent symbolizes Joy. As we continue to approach Christmas Day, our joy grows more and more. The third candle 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,” and its colour is pink, the liturgical colour for joy.
Fourth Advent Candle/Sunday: Love
The fourth candle of Advent represents Love, the ultimate love of God that He might send His only Son for us. Called the “Angel’s Candle,” the fourth candle of Advent is lit the Sunday before Christmas, and it is the colour purple, leading us to eagerly await the new Kingdom of God on earth.
Advent is a journey towards Bethlehem. May we let ourselves be drawn by the light of God made man.
Fr. Josely Rocha