Third Week of Advent

The third candle of Advent represents Joy. As we get closer to Christmas, our joy keeps increasing! It reminds us of the happy anticipation of the shepherds who traveled to Bethlehem to see Jesus, even before the wise men arrived. On this third Sunday of Advent, which the Church calls “Gaudete Sunday” (meaning rejoice or praise), we light the third candle and celebrate like the shepherds. That’s why it is called the “Shepherds Candle,” and its colour is pink, which is the liturgical colour for joy.

Second Week of Advent
The second candle on the Advent wreath stands for Peace. Sometimes known as the “Bethlehem Candle,” it gently reminds us of Mary and Joseph’s journey from Nazareth to Bethlehem, where Mary gave birth to Jesus. It also carries forward the message of the Prophecy Candle, suggesting that after the kingdom’s division, destruction, and scattering in the Old Testament, peace might finally come to Earth.

First Week of Advent
The first candle on the Advent wreath is all about Hope! It’s the first Sunday of Advent, and it is not just about looking forward to Jesus’s birth; it is also about welcoming the start of a new liturgical season. The candle is purple, which is the main color of Advent and a colour that represents royalty. Sometimes we call it the “Prophecy Candle,” and it reminds us of Isaiah’s predictions about Jesus’s birth and all the promises God made in the Old Testament that would come true with Jesus’s arrival.