Source: http://www.ncregister.com/blog/jimmy-akin/10-things-you-need-to-know-about-advent2/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+NationalCatholicRegisterBloggers+National+Catholic+Register+Bloggers#When:2014-12-1
1)
What Is the
Purpose of Advent?
a) Advent
has a twofold character: as a season to
prepare for Christmas when Christ's first coming to us is remembered; as a
season when that remembrance directs the mind and heart to await Christ's
Second Coming at the end of time.
b) it
is important that we also remember it as a celebration in which we look forward
to the Second Coming of Christ.
c) Properly
speaking, Advent is a season that brings to mind the Two Comings of Christ.
2)
What
Liturgical Colors Are Used in Advent?
a) The
color violet or purple is used in Advent and Lent.
b) color
rose may be used, where it is the practice, on Gaudete Sunday (Third Sunday of
Advent) and on Laetare Sunday (Fourth Sunday of Lent)
3)
Is Advent a
Penitential Season?
a) Advent
is not a penitential season. Surprise!
b) penitential
days and times in the universal Church are every Friday of the whole year and
the season of Lent.
4)
When Does
Advent Begin and End?
a) Advent
begins with evening prayer I of the Sunday falling on or closest to 30 November
and ends before evening prayer I of Christmas
b) Sunday
on or closest to November 30 can range between November 27 and December 3
c) In
the case of a Sunday, Evening Prayer I is said on the evening of the preceding
day (Saturday)
d) Advent
begins on the evening of a Saturday falling between November 26 and December 2
(inclusive), and it ends on the evening of December 24th, which holds Evening
Prayer I of Christmas (December 25th)
5)
What Is the
Role of Sundays in Advent?
a) Sundays
of this season are named the First, Second, Third, and Fourth Sundays of Advent
b) Third
Sunday of Advent has a special name--Gaudete Sunday. Gaudete is the
Latin word for "Rejoice," which is the first word of the introit of
the Mass for this day.
c) The
Sundays of the seasons of Advent, Lent, and Easter, however, take precedence
over all solemnities and feasts of the Lord. Solemnities occuring on these
Sundays are observed on the Saturdays preceding
d) You
also cannot celebrate Funeral Masses on the Sundays of Advent
e) It
may be celebrated on any day except for Solemnities that are Holydays of
Obligation, Thursday of Holy Week, the Paschal Triduum, and the Sundays of
Advent, Lent, and Easter, with due regard also for all the other requirements
of the norm of the law
6) What Happens on Weekdays in Advent?
a) especially
recommended that homilies be given on the weekdays of Advent.
b) On
Sundays and Holydays of Obligation there is to be a Homily at every Mass that
is celebrated with the people attending and it may not be omitted without a
grave reason.
c) The
weekdays from 17 December to 24 December inclusive serve to prepare more
directly for the Lord's birth
7) How
Are Churches Decorated During Advent?
a) a
moderation suited to the character of this time of year, without expressing in
anticipation the full joy of the Nativity of the Lord.
b) During
Lent it is forbidden for the altar to be decorated with flowers. Exceptions,
however, are Laetare Sunday (Fourth Sunday of Lent), Solemnities, and Feasts
8)
How Is Music
Performed During Advent?
a) a
moderation suited to the character of this time of year, without expressing in
anticipation the full joy of the Nativity of the Lord.
b) In
Lent the playing of the organ and musical instruments is allowed only in order
to support the singing. Exceptions, however, are Laetare Sunday (Fourth Sunday
of Lent), Solemnities, and Feasts
9)
Is the
Gloria Said or Sung During Advent?
a) Neither.
b) Gloria
or "Glory to God in the highest"] is sung or said on Sundays outside
Advent and Lent, and also on Solemnities and Feasts
10) What
Private Devotions Can We Use to Grow Closer to God During Advent?
a) The
most famous is the Advent Wreath.
