Fourth Sunday of Advent for Catholics

In its meaning, Advent can be compared to the Orthodox Nativity Fast This is the time to stop, think about your life, this is the time for repentance and cleansing Catholic clergy dress in liturgical vestments of purple color, the symbolism of which is repentance It should be noted that in Catholicism, compulsory fasting was abolished in 1917 But some believers impose restrictions on themselves; as a rule, strict fasting is observed three days before the holiday The Catholic Church especially emphasizes that there is no point in fasting if a person’s soul is far from God Therefore, during Advent, everyone is advised to remember the way to the temple, repent and take communion But at the same time, Advent is a joyful anticipation of the holiday This is the time of preparation for the celebration: the festive bustle, discounts and sales in stores, visits to fairs and bazaars Back in 380, the Council of Zaragoza adopted new rules of worship for the four weeks before Christmas This is considered the first mention of Advent The first week of Advent is called iron, the second - copper, the third - silver, and the last fourth week - golden Our story will be about her The last fourth week before Epiphany is called the Golden Week of Advent This week can last 1-6 days, it all depends on what day of the week Christmas falls on These days are dedicated to the events that occurred before the birth of Jesus Christ and the special role of the Blessed Virgin Mary in the Incarnation The motto of the last Sunday: “The Lord will come and will not delay” And the last week of Advent ends with Christmas Eve The last fourth candle, called the Angelic candle, is lit on Christmas Eve on the holiday common to most Western Christians - Christmas Eve (for the Orthodox - January 6) The burning of the last candle means that Christmas is quickly approaching The most common Advent symbols are a wreath, a calendar and a ladder The differences between this holiday in different countries have their own characteristics Somewhere a necessary attribute is a Christmas star hung on windows or arch lamps A very popular custom in Western Europe is to buy or make pre-Advent calendars yourself to brighten up children's anticipation of the Christmas holidays Calendars are very diverse in shape: they can be a flat box with many drawers, they can be in the form of small bags or a Christmas tree with dated gifts The idea is for children to receive a tasty gift every day of Advent In addition, children are taught to do good deeds during this period They are rewarded for this with a paper heart and a pinch of straw When Christmas comes, children put hay in the manger on the Advent stairs, or in a makeshift nativity scene, and hang hearts on the tree The most famous symbol is a pine wreath with four white or red candles Advent colors: red, white and green The red color symbolizes the blood of Christ, shed to atone for the sins of mankind, white is a symbol of spirituality and purity, and green belongs to life and gives hope The old custom is to build a staircase, and the number of steps should be equal to the number of days of Advent At the very top is a Christmas star, and at the very bottom is a manger, similar to the one in which Christ was born Every day the small figurine of Jesus is moved down one step, which symbolizes the approaching feast of the Epiphany And finally, the fourth verse from the Advent song, dedicated to the last week: