ADVENT

O Come, O Come, Emmanuel

O come, O come, Emmanuel,

and ransom captive Israel,

That mourns in lonely exile here,

Until the Son of God appear.

Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel shall come to thee, O Israel!

O come, thou Rod of Jesse, free thine own from Satan's tyranny;

From depths of hell thy people save

and give them victory o'er the grave.

O come, thou Dayspring, come and cheer our spirits by thine advent here;

Disperse the gloomy clouds of night, and death's dark shadows put to flight.

Oh, come, thou Key of David, come, and open wide our heavenly home;

Make safe the way that leads on high and close the path to misery.

O come, O come, thou Lord of Might, who to thy tribes, on Sinai's height,

In ancient times didst give the law in cloud and majesty and awe.

Yesterday the 2nd of December 2007 marked the begining of advent. So lets share what advent ment..

WHAT IS ADVENT

The word 'advent' is Latin for 'a coming or arrival'. The idea behind it is that God came to earthly life and lived among us, which is news to stop the presses for. It's something to celebrate, rejoice, because just by being in it, God was giving the supreme blessing to the created world. But this birth led to an execution of this same God, by us on behalf of us, and then the greatest news that death will not end it all. So it's not something you just go rushing into. We need to take stock of what that baby Jesus was here for. When we go all goo-goo over the baby and the birth, the adult Jesus and His execution are also in sight.

Begin with Advent, the four weeks before Christmas. It is a time of preparation, waiting and hope. The Advent liturgy resounds with the longing cries of the Hebrew prophets, the voice of Jesus, and John the Baptist's preaching that the Lord is near. Hear their message still ringing through today's dark winters. The brief meditations on the Gospels for the Sundays of Advent found in this section may help you listen to their voices.

Among the customs of Advent, the Advent wreath is probably the most important. Lighting the Advent candles each day with a prayer can prepare your household for Christmas. For children, an Advent calendar marking off the days before Christmas can be an aid for living the season.
And since Santa Claus suddenly appears everywhere at this time, why not remember the saint who is likely his original-- St. Nicholas, whose feast day is December 6th? His example of quiet, generous giving is worth recalling, especially for children.