I am rather curious why the season of Advent is celebrated with some kind of somber mood. I know we don’t sing the Gloria, there are no fancy big flowers at the altar and it has an air of Lent. You know Lent, where we anticipated something sad and tragic to come so we are preparing to mourn the death of Jesus.
Yet, why is Advent celebrated with that kind of mood? It is the Lord’s birth. The virgin birth of Jesus where God made Himself Man and come to walk on earth with us humans. (If your faith doesn’t allow you to think of God this way, please buzz off and don’t argue with me, ok? Hehehe.)
Advent still preserved most of the characteristics of a penitential seasons which made it a kind of counterpart to Lent, the middle (or third) Sunday corresponding with Laetare or Mid-Lent Sunday. On it, as on Laetare Sunday, the organ and flowers, forbidden during the rest of the season, were, permitted to be used; rose-coloured vestments were allowed instead of purple (or black, as formerly); the decon and subdeacon reassumed the dalmatic and tunicle at the chief Mass, and cardinals wore rose-colour instead of purple.
The above is an explanation I got from Catholic Encyclopedia. This Sunday is Gaudete Sunday. Gaudete is rejoice. It is when they light the pink candle.
Hmmm…this still doesn’t explain why we must have the somber mood of Lent. *scratches head*
And when it is the penitential season, it means only one thing – CONFESSION! Arrggh…so soon?
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