St. Matthew the Evangelist  is happy to share these resources to help you and/or your family celebrate Advent and to prepare for Christmas 

Take a look at these short 2 minute videos from Busted Halo. They are a great resource for becoming familiar with  Advent. 

Fr. Jack talks about Advent – CLICK HERE

Advent in 2 Minutes – CLICK HERE

What can we learn about Advent?

The word “advent” (the arrival of an important person or thing) is derived from the Latin word “adventus,” which means “coming.”Advent is the four-week season leading up to Christmas, where Catholics anticipate the coming of Jesus. It’s a time of reflection, excitement, and hope.

Advent officially begins four Sundays before Christmas and ends on December 24. It marks the beginning of the Catholic Church’s liturgical calendar year. This year Advent begins on Sunday, November 27, 2022. Christmas Eve is the Fourth Saturday of Advent, with Christmas falling on a Sunday.
 
Four weeks isn’t long, but that still leaves plenty of time to spend some quiet time preparing for Jesus’ coming. The official color for the season of Advent is violet or purple, except on the Third Sunday of Advent, called Gaudete or Rejoice Sunday, when optional rose vestments may be worn. The Gloria is not recited during Advent liturgies, but the Alleluia is retained.

The Advent Wreath, a popular symbol in many churches may be placed in the narthex (or gathering area), or near the ambo. The Advent wreath is made up of 4 candles – one in rose color to be lighted on the 3rd Sunday of Advent. The 3rd Sunday of Advent is known as Gaudete Sunday, meaning “Rejoice in the Lord always, again I say, rejoice.” Pope Francis in his homily on Gaudete Sunday 2014 said that Gaudete Sunday is known as the “Sunday of Joy.” People should focus on “all the good things life has given you”

The each of the four candles on the Advent wreath symbolizes HOPE, LOVE, JOY (rose color) and PEACE.

Let’s learn some more about St. Nicholas – his feast day and who he is the Patron Saint of

St. Nicholas day is celebrated on December 6. In 2022 this is on a Tuesday.

Who is St. Nicholas?
Did you know St. Nicholas was a bishop of an ancient Greek town called Myra, which is in present-day Turkey?

St. Nicholas always had a love for the poor and would work for their benefit. The story goes that there was a poor man in town with no money for a dowry for his daughters. No dowry meant no marriage, which would have left his daughters to be sold into a life of servitude. Late one night, St. Nicholas dropped a bag of money down the chimney of the family home, thus allowing the daughters a dowry.

Most famously, he is the real-life historical figure from whom we get Santa Claus. His generosity inspired the “chubby and plump, a right jolly old elf” – Santa meaning Saint and Claus is short for Nicholas.

On December 5, the eve of St. Nicholas Day, children traditionally leave a shoe or a boot in front of the fireplace. The next morning the shoe is filled with small gifts, like coins, candy and oranges. The coins are given in remembrance of the choice St. Nicholas left the girls in need of a dowry and oranges are given to signify the gold that St. Nicholas gave away to those in need.

This tradition comes from the legends of St. Nicholas’ generosity and led to the celebration of Santa Claus on Christmas Day today. In some countries, like Germany and Austria, St. Nicholas is accompanied by his counterpart the Krampus. Much like the legend of Santa Claus, the Krampus will leave coal in the shoes of misbehaving children. Children are encouraged to participate in acts of kindness to stay off of the Krampus’ naughty list.

One fun way to celebrate is to make traditional St. Nicholas cookies. In the United States gingerbread and sugar cookies are the most popular while in countries such as the Netherlands and Germany make spice cookies and peppermint cookies. The spice cookies are made into the shape of St. Nicholas – complete with a Bishop’s mitre and staff! 

Another tradition that is observed is to perform random acts of kindness on St. Nicholas’ feast day. You could drop off a grocery store gift card to those in need, give books to your parish to use at Christmas, anonymously pay the utility bill of someone in need or donate gifts to local foster care programs. Spend time as a family brainstorming what you can do to serve your community just as St. Nicholas did when he was alive.

Who is St. Nicholas the Patron Saint of?

A patron saint is a saint who is known for praying for and helping people in specific walks of life or particular circumstances. Saints are typically patron saints of people, things and situations that were similar to experiences they had when they were alive.

St. Nicholas is the patron saint of children, bakers, brides, unmarried women, grooms, sailors and travelers. Because he was persecuted for his faith we can to pray for all people who are being persecuted around the world. He was a Bishop, so we can ask him to intercede for bishops. And he helped the poor, sick and suffering, so we can ask him to pray for those most in need in our communities.

The story of St. Nicholas is fun to know and a great way to remind us and our kids that Christmas is about more than just presents.

Additional resources appear below – click on the link to open/access

Advent Wreath Blessing – CLICK HERE

Blessing of a Christmas Manger or Nativity Scene – CLICK HERE

Blessing of the Christmas Tree – CLICK HERE

Advent Series You May Subscribe to (all will open a new tab/window outside of the Catholic Community of Billerica):

Advent of Hope – CLICK HERE (from Array of Hope)

Relevant Radio – Advent Inspirations- CLICK HERE are short, daily audio reflections designed to help listeners like you delve into the beauty of this season, sent to your email inbox.

St. Mary’s Press Advent Resources- CLICK HERE – Family Calendar, Scripture and Saint ideas, organized for children, teens, and families.

Jesse Tree – the family tree of Jesus

The Jesse Tree is a tradition that introduces Jesus’ ancestors. The Jesse Tree is named for Jesse, the father of King David.  Stories from the Old Testament are told, and participants create symbols to hang on Jesus’ ‘family tree.’ A Jesse Tree helps us understand that many people lived before Jesus was born. They waited for him, just as we wait for his birthday now. These people were good, holy people and have interesting stories! 

The basic concept behind a Jess Tree is that you have one ornament for each day in December, and it counts down to the coming of Christ on the 25th. Each ornament stands for a person or event from the Old Testament that leads up to the coming of Christ. Every evening, you hang an ornament on the tree that symbolizes that biblical event and do a small reading or devotional about that Bible story.

Jesse Tree Coloring Pages- CLICK HERE

My Jesse Tree- CLICK HERE – book and resources

Loyola Press Jesse Tree Resource- CLICK HERE

Blog:

10 Advent Songs to Remind You It’s Not Yet Christmas – CLICK HERE (blog by Matt Fradd on FOCUS)

EVANGELII GAUDIUM (The Joy of the Gospel), Pope Francis, November 2013

Thanks solely to this encounter – or renewed encounter – with God’s love, which blossoms into an enriching friendship, we are liberated from our narrowness and self-absorption. We become fully human when we become more than human, when we let God bring us beyond ourselves in order to attain the fullest truth of our being. Here we find the source and inspiration of all our efforts at evangelization. For if we have received the love which restores meaning to our lives, how can we fail to share that love with others? (8)

The resources noted on this page are offered by St. Matthew Parish for your family’s faith formation – please let us know what you think!