“The Advent wreath represents the long time when people lived in spiritual darkness, waiting for the coming of the Messiah, the Light of the world,” according to EWTN.com.
“Each year in Advent, people wait once again in darkness for the coming of the Lord, his historical coming in the mystery of Bethlehem, his final coming at the end of time, and his special coming in every moment of grace.”
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One might add that the 4 candles stand for the 4 Sundays that precede Christmas. The color purple represents sorrow and penitance, since Advent parallels Lent as a penitential season of fasting and confession. Purple is also a royal color, calling us to prepare our hearts for both the birth and the Second Coming of our King. We light the rose candle on Gaudete Sunday, the 3rd Sunday of the season. The rose color symbolizes joy, as “Gaudete” means “rejoice” in Latin.
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