ADVENT

St. Andrew

St. Andrew, St. Peter's brother, remembered for his gift of friendship, is celebrated on November 30th, the threshold of Advent. He was one of the disciples of St. John the Baptist. He recognized Jesus as the Lamb of God and followed Him after Jesus invited him to "come and see."

Later, Andrew found Peter and brought him to Jesus, and they followed the Lamb from the beginning of His public life, through His Passion and Death. They witnessed to His resurrection. In the course of time, Andrew brought others to Jesus: the boy with the loaves and fish, the Greeks, and most likely many who are not recorded - he was that kind of an obliging and friendly man..

Now, every year, thanks to the liturgical cycle, he brings us to Jesus, the Lamb of God come down from heaven as He begins His earthly life. So it is quite fitting that we begin this prayer on the feast of this great saint, remembering that "Jesus loved Andrew and cherished his friendship."

St Andrew Christmas Novena

Prayer: Hail and blessed be the hour and moment in which the Son of God was born of the most pure Virgin Mary, at midnight, in piercing cold. In that hour vouchsafe, O my God, to hear my prayer and grant my desires, through the merits of Our Savior Jesus Christ, and of His Blessed Mother. Amen - Author Unknown

The Jesse Tree

"A shoot shall come out from the stump of Jesse, and a branch shall grow out of his roots."

Isaiah 11:1

This passage from Isaiah is the basis for the Jesse Tree, which has become a symbol of Christ's heritage, or roots, and God's covenant with the Jewish people. Very popular in church art in the Middle Ages, the Jesse tree appeared on candlesticks and stained-glass windows. According to interpretations of this passage: "A shoot shall come out from the stump of Jesse, and a branch shall grow out of his roots, "the stump symbolizes the family of the Jews; the shoot, Mary; and the branch, Jesus.

In the Old Testament, Jesse, the son of Obed, was a poor farmer who lived in Bethlehem. He had eight sons, the youngest of whom was David. As a boy, David was anointed by Samuel to succeed Saul as king of the Israelites. Christ the Savior was to be born of the house of David in Bethlehem.

Jesus' ancestry included prophets, kings and priests a well as ordinary people. The Gospel of St Matthew begins with Abraham and traces his descendants down to Joseph, the husband of Mary. The names are arranged in three stages of fourteen generations each.

St Luke, on the other hand, begins with Joseph and goes back beyond Abraham through Eber, father of the Hebrew people, past Noah, Methuselah, and Seth to Adam, the Son of God.

Both mention David and Jesse, Obed and Boaz, the husband of Ruth, a Gentile woman. Being known as the son of Joseph, the carpenter, thus establishes Jesus in the human race and identifies Him as the Son of David and the Son of Man.

Eagerly we await the fulfillment of our hope

the glorious coming of our Savior