People Look East: Advent Wreath Prayers, Carols, & Blessings

“And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.” — John 1:14

Advent is the liturgical season of penitential but joyful anticipation and a time to prepare our hearts for the arrival of our long awaited Savior. It is also one of our family’s favorite seasons of the liturgical year and one that we begin observing with our children from their earliest days through traditions like the Advent Wreath.

As the beginning of the new Church Year, Advent also provides Catholics a fresh start, and therefore the perfect opportunity to incorporate new spiritual devotions and disciplines within our families. The 4 week length of Advent is just enough time to cement a new religious resolution of habit into the liturgy of our lives and prayers around the Advent Wreath are an easy place to start easy place to start that can help make the mystery of the incarnation more tangible to every member of your family young and old. As our children grew, we started selecting individual religious resolutions for the coming year as part out our Catholic New Year’s Eve festivities the night before Advent begins.

The Advent Wreath is traditionally lit at night, and preferably in the dark for the greatest effect on the senses and the soul alike. With most things the most painless way to remember to add something new into our hectic lives is by pinning it to or pairing it with something else your family already does habitually. For example, your family may decide to light your Advent Wreath before or after a meal like supper, or before bedtime. 

Our family has our devotions before bed as a quiet close to the busy day. We light the week’s candle(s), sing “People Look East,” and the O Antiphon if during the Golden Nights, then say our Advent prayers When over, we blow out the candles and, in the spirit of the Great Silence at the close of day in a monastery, head off to bed as hushed as possible with eight little ones in tow. 

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