Advent comes from the Latin word Adventus meaning “the coming”, but the coming of what?
It is a preparation for the coming of Christ in three ways:
The remembrance of the Birth of Christ
The anticipation of the 2nd Coming of Christ
The coming of ourselves to Christ

The Advent Wreath
An Advent wreath is a ring of evergreen holding four candles. The circle symbolizes God’s
everlasting love for His creation, and the evergreens represent Christ’s gift of eternal life. The light
of each candle represents the light that Christ brings to the World. On Christmas day, a white
candle is lit in the center of the wreath to announce the birth of Christ who is the Light of the
World. As you (and your family) gather daily for prayer, begin by lighting one candle the first week,
two candles the second week, three the third week and so on. Advent is a season of preparation,
and each week has a subtheme to help us prepare:

Week 1: 1st candle: HOPE
Week 2: 2nd candle: LOVE
Week 3: 3rd candle: JOY
Week 4: 4th candle: PEACE
Christmas Eve: Christ-Candle: SALVATION