SO WHAT DO THE CANDLES MEAN??
Advent Week 1 - The first candle, HOPE
Advent Week 2 - The second candle, PEACE
Advent Week 3 - The third candle, JOY
Advent Week 4 - The fourth candle, LOVE
MORE ADVENT VIDEOS... "DEEPER MEANING... MORE TALKING ..."
WEEK ONE - HOPE
WEEK TWO - PEACE
WEEK THREE - JOY
WEEK FOUR - LOVE
Advent Begins! DAILY ADVENT REFLECTION - PLEASE VISIT THE FOLLOWING SITE,
"He will be a joy and delight to you, and many will rejoice because of his birth.” Luke 1:14
The Daily Advent Reflection Challenges...
**** If you don't want to do the challenge that is given here(SEE BELOW), check out BUSTED HALO'S SURPRISE ADVENT CALENDAR at:
Powerpoint for Advent... Check out the site and click on the links...
Download Powerpoints for Advent and Lent at Catholic Youth Network!!
Grade 7/8's: You will read a reflection each day and write a RESPONSE to the CHALLENGE listed on ONE OF THE SITES ABOVE, or just look at the challenges that I have listed here.
Just read the Reflection or prayer, and then write a response to the challenge. Write your responses in your Learning Log, if you don't have have it at home, do it on loose leaf... or you can even write your response as a Word document (save in draft form and keep adding to it over Advent), then add to your Learning Log duotang.
** If you really want to get TECH SAVY... YOU COULD UPDATE YOUR WIKISPACE ON OUR CLASS SITE, "MISSION TO MAKE A DIFFERENCE" at wikispaces... Remember you need to give me your e-mail so you can be "INVITED" in order to do this...
HOW TO GET READY FOR JESUS... AND BE GOOD FOR MORE THAN JUST SANTA'S SAKE...
ADVENT REFLECTION QUESTIONS...
Reflection: 1 - What are you going to do everyday over Advent that will improve the lives of others? What will you do? Why?
Reflection: 2 - Take a moment to sit and think. Shut out all distractions, and close your eyes if it helps. Think about anybody you are angry with and anybody you have bad feelings towards. The chances are that if you have any negativity towards somebody, there is something in your mind that you haven’t forgiven them for.
Try to think of some people. Bring their names and faces to mind. First of all, try to think of something good about each person. When you have done that, pray for the strength to forgive them and then pray for them – ask God to watch over them too this Advent and to remind them how strong his love for them is.
Reflection 3 - Do something that you know is good, but you wouldn't normally do. What are you going to do? Why did you choose this? Explain.
Reflection 4 - see blog challenge (passages from the bible). (Title: God Loves you... Really... A lot!)
Read the reflection, prayer and challenge - there are bible passages read them and choose the one that you "connect to the most". Explain how you will incorporate this message into your life. What is the key message of these passages... how can we incorporate this message into our lives in today's world?"
Reflection 5.... - has yet to be posted... when it is check the site... (see above link) read the reflection, prayer and respond to the challenge....
Reflection 6 - read the reflection. Main idea... enjoy the snow!! But remember those people who suffer because of the cold weather (homeless, shut-ins, elderly). Pray for these people.
Reflection 7 - Pray in a "different way" than what you usually do. (Free prayer, global issues prayer - poverty, war etc; traditional prayer (rosary); prayer with music; silence with a candle- meditate; go to mass or confession... State what you will do ...
Reflection 8 - How are you going to make the mass/liturgy more meaningful in your life? What will you do so that you can hear God's message more??
Reflection 9 - Think about a way in which you or someone elese you know needs healing. Maybe you or or someone you know is sick.
You can look at healing as part of relationships too. Maybe there is a relationship with somebody which you need to fix, or maybe there is something you should do that you have been putting off.
Write a prayer about healing. This prayer can be about someone who needs healing and about a relationship that you wish to see "healed".
Reflection 10 - Look after all those who are going through difficult times at the moment. Bring them peace, success and happiness. Your challenge today, when something gets a bit difficult or stressful, stop and say a quick prayer.
Reflection 11 - 12 - see the advent 2010 site... write a reflection on one of the challenges or go to the Busted Halo and check out today's microchallenge and reflect on it... Tell me what you chose to do...
Reflection 14 - Your challenge today is to stop and have a think. Think about the most important and intense memories in your life – the ones that make you happy and the ones that are a little bit more difficult. Spend a while with those memories and ask yourself if they say anything new to you now. What can you learn from your memories? Tell me...
Reflection 15 - Finally we light the pink candle! The third Sunday in Advent is always called Gaudete Sunday. You will probably notice that the Advent candle for today isn’t purple, but pink – or rather rose coloured. When you go to Mass you might also notice that the priests is wearing rose coloured vestments, rather than the normal purple. This is one of only two Sundays in the year when the priest will do this. The word Gaudete means Rejoice. Advent is normally a penitential season and the readings normally emphasise the need that we have to look at our lives and think about what we need to change.
Reflection 16 - Have you ever looked but not seen? Have you every listened but not really heard?
These sound like strange questions but the point is that it is very easy to miss things in life. It is very easy to think that we appreciate something or somebody but to really miss the important points. Have you ever discovered something about a friend or a family member and then been amazed that you didn’t know before? Have you ever discovered something new and amazing about a place or an organisation you have known for a long time and thought you knew just about everything about? Sometimes, we look but we don’t see.
Your challenge today is to learn some new things about people you know well! Write about what you learned...
Meditation for the Second Week of Advent Reference: www.rcsd.ca/
Advent is a season of renewal, when God invites us to let Jesus come into our hearts and make us more like him. In Sunday’s gospel, John the Baptist tells us to “make straight the way of the Lord” in our hearts and in our lives. But how do we do this? The Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops offer some suggestions for families to consider.
Prayer-why not try to begin or improve your prayer as an individual and family. Make time to pray together at least once a day as a family perhaps before and after a meal shared together.
Eucharist-as well as taking part in the Sunday celebration, why not try to go to mass more often during Advent.
Penance celebrations - In preparation for Christmas, it is a good idea to celebrate the sacrament of Reconciliation. Most parishes have special Advent Reconciliation Services.
By these simple Advent practices, we prepare ourselves well both for our Christmas celebration of Jesus coming as our saviour 2,000 years ago and for his coming as king and judge at the end of time.
Reference: Regina Catholic Schools Website www.rcsd.ca/
Four Ways to Pray the Wait
by Beth Davis
Advent: What does it mean to you? I’m not asking you to look at Latin roots, but to use your imagination! I see two parts: ad and vent.
Stay with me on this. Ad is short for advertising. Vent is a hole in the floor or ceiling that lets air flow into a room. The two combined form the word Advent.
If you follow my “logic” here, a reasonable assumption would be that Advent means advertising airflow. Really? Well, don’t use it on your SAT.
But think: If we “do” Advent well, then our very lives flow in a way that advertises Jesus! What a concept! So, just how do we do Advent well?
First, let’s examine the Advent wreath, a circle of evergreen with three purple candles and one pink one. Some wreaths also have three purple ribbons plus a pink one adorning them.
This past year, our church decided not to display a circular wreath, but stretched it out across the wall behind the sanctuary. Picture this: a long line of grapevine, tall votive candles sectioning it into four pieces.
Each week, as we came closer to Christmas, the bony, bare grapevine, section by section, came alive with boughs of evergreen and sparkling candles.
Each week, the bleakness of winter, represented by that dead grapevine, was replaced by the hope of things green. Darkness grew bright. The horizontal garland reminded us that Christmas was coming still closer.
Advent, the waiting period of Christmas, is such a gift. How we wait is key
MORE SITES to GUIDE you during ADVENT...
Catholic Youth Service Daily Reflections
http://advent2010.yaab.co.uk/
Busted Halo Advent Calendar - Weird Name ... nice site...
How the digital Advent calendar works
http://www.bustedhalo.com/features/advent-calendar-20101
Each day, that day’s link in the Advent calendar will start working, leading to a special Advent-themed Daily Jolt, with an opportunity for reflection, a microChallenge and a chance to win a prize. Some of the reflections come from unlikely sources, and the challenges help you to take an action, usually a small one, based on the reflection.
Catholic Youth Focused Powerpoints for Reflection
http://forum.catholicyouthwork.com/index.php?action=search2
More Advent Info
http://www.americancatholic.org/features/default.aspx?id=20
Advent Facts
http://www.americancatholic.org/Features/Advent/faqs.asp
CHRISTMAS.... IT'S MORE THAN PRESENTS BUT THE PRESENCE OF JESUS! AND EXPERIENCING THE JOY OF FAMILY AND FRIENDS...
Facebp
Lets's take the materialism out of Christmas!!!
