Banners for each liturgical season
ADVENT - COME EMMANUEL
Advent is a time of hope, anticipation and preparation for the celebration of the birth of Jesus Christ. The liturgical color of Advent is blue.
Advent begins on the fourth Sunday before Christmas and ends on Christmas Eve.
During Advent, Catholics light candles, read scriptures, pray and sing hymns that reflect their hope and joy in the coming of the Savior.
The banners show the 4 candles representing 4 weeks of Advent, also present on the Advent Wreath. The name Emmanuel is a Hebrew name which means “God with us”. Emmanuel was the name prophesied for the Messiah in the Old Testament and it symbolizes God’s protection and presence.
CHRISTMAS
“Glory to God in the highest, �peace to His people on earth.”
This was the greeting of the heavenly multitude (represented by the trumpets) that appeared with the angel announcing the birth of Jesus to the shepherds tending their flocks. (Luke 2:14)
The liturgical season of Christmas is the time when Christians celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ, the Son of God. It begins on December 25th and lasts until January 6th, the feast of the Epiphany.
During this season, Christians remember the events surrounding the incarnation of Christ, such as the annunciation, the visit of the magi, and the presentation in the temple.
The liturgical color for this season is white or gold, symbolizing joy and purity.
CHRISTMAS�The Nativity Scene (creche)
The nativity creche is a traditional representation of the birth of Jesus Christ in a stable. It usually consists of a wooden or ceramic “stable” that houses figures of Mary, Joseph, the baby Jesus, the shepherds, the angels, and sometimes the Magi and the animals.
The history of the creche goes back to St. Francis of Assisi, who reenacted the first live nativity scene in Greccio, Italy, in 1223. St. Francis had a deep devotion to Christmas and wanted to inspire people to celebrate the mystery of the Incarnation.
The elements of the nativity scene are a combination of the gospels of Matthew and Luke. From Luke we get the stable, the manger, the angels and the shepherds. From Matthew we get the Magi and the Christmas Star. Luke wanted to show his Gentile audience that Jesus was sent to serve the poor and the humble. Whereas the Gospel of Matthew had to show his Hebrew audience that Jesus was the descendent of the royal lineage of King David, as the messiah was promised.
The figures shown here were hand-carved in Poland and brought to Holy Family in the 1970’s.
LENT
The liturgical season of Lent is a period of 40 days before Easter, during which Christians prepare themselves for the celebration of the resurrection of Jesus Christ.
Lent is a time of prayer, fasting, almsgiving, and repentance, as well as a time of learning and growing in faith. Lent begins on Ash Wednesday and ends on Holy Saturday, the day before Easter Sunday.
The crucifix, nails and crown of thorns on the left banner remind us of the passion, suffering and death of Jesus on Good Friday. The empty shroud shows the victory of Christ over death. The blood dripping into the chalice and host show that the sacrifice of Jesus gives us a chance at everlasting life, through the Holy Eucharist, if we willingly and faithfully accept it.
EASTER
The Catholic liturgical season of Easter is the most important and joyful time of the year for Christians. It celebrates the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, which is the core of our faith. The Easter season begins on Easter Sunday and lasts for 50 days, until Pentecost Sunday. During this time, the Church invites the faithful to renew their baptismal promises and to live as disciples of Christ in the world. The colors of Easter are Gold or White.
The left banner has the Chi-Rho monogram of Jesus intertwined with a lily. The Easter lily represents purity, hope, innocence, and virtue, as well as the resurrection of Jesus Christ. The white color of the lily symbolizes the purity of Christ and the Virgin Mary. The trumpet shape of the lily symbolizes the message of Christ's victory over death. The Easter lily is a reminder of the new life and joy that Easter brings.
The right banner shows the Lamb of God with the banner of victory to symbolize Christ’s victory over death.
The frontal of the main altar says, “I Am Alive”. “I Am” is the name that God told Moses that His name is. The sacrificial altar has the word Alleluia, which is a word that expresses praise to God. It comes from the Hebrew phrase “hal’luyah” which means “praise the Lord”.
THE HOLY SPIRIT�Pentecost, Confirmation, Mass of Chrism
FORTITUDE – PIETY- COUNSEL- UNDERSTANDING
WISDOM -KNOWLEDGE – FEAR OF THE LORD
The gifts of the Holy Spirit (as symbolized by the dove) are special abilities that God gives to his followers to help them live a Christian life. They are mentioned in several places in the Bible, such as Isaiah 11:2-3 and 1 Corinthians 12:4-11.
These gifts enable Christians to grow in faith, hope, and love, and to serve God and others with joy and gratitude.
The color red is associated with the Holy Spirit because it symbolizes the “fire” and “power”of God's presence and love. Red reminds us of the “flames” that came upon the apostles at “Pentecost”, when they received the gift of the Holy Spirit. Red also represents the “blood” of Jesus and the “martyrs” who gave their lives for their faith.
These banners are used for Pentecost, Confirmation, a Mass of Chrism, and any other celebration dedicated to the work of the Holy Spirit in the Church.
ORDINARY TIME
Green is used as a liturgical color during the weeks known as Ordinary Time. Generally, this period of time occurs from the end of the Christmas season until the beginning of Lent, and from the end of the Easter season until the Solemnity of Christ the King, the last Sunday before Advent. Far from being a filler between other liturgical seasons, Ordinary Time has its own meaning, signified by its own color.
When we hear the word “ordinary” we usually think of something that is plain or common. However, in the Liturgical Calendar, the word “Ordinary” means numbered, as in 1st Sunday in Ordinary Time,2nd Sunday in Ordinary time … 33rd Sunday in Ordinary Time, etc.
During Ordinary Time, we hear stories of the public ministry of Jesus. We hear his parables and witness His teachings and miracles. This is a time when the readings during Mass teach us, inspire us and help us gather our thoughts.
Green is a fitting color for this season of spiritual rebirth since green evokes life and growth.
We have 2 sets of banners for use during Ordinary Time.
LOVE IS PATIENT – LOVE IS KIND -- GOD IS LOVE
Most everyone recognizes the phrase “Love is patient, Love is kind” from the First Letter of St. Paul to the Corinthians (1 Cor 13:4-7) The passage is often read at weddings and describes the attributes of love which include: patience, kindness, lack of envy, lack of boasting, lack of pride and lack of dishonor.
The Bible declares that “GOD IS LOVE” (1 John 4:8 and 1 John 4:16) and that He loves everyone. Love is not just an attribute of God, but part of his very nature. God's love is shown by sending his only Son to die for our sins and give us eternal life. The Bible also commands us to “LOVE ONE ANOTHER” (John 13:34-35), as those who love are born of God and know God. The ancient Greeks had different words for love, but the New Testament mostly uses ”agape”, which means selfless and unconditional love.
BREAD OF LIFE – CUP OF SALVATION
Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me shall not hunger, and whoever believes in me shall never thirst.” (John 6:34-35)
The central focus of Catholic worship is the Holy Eucharist. During the Canon of the Mass, the Consecration reminds us of the Last Supper when the priest repeats the words of spoken by Jesus, “This is My Body”. At that moment the bread is changed into the Body of Jesus Christ.
After the consecration of the bread, the priest then takes the chalice of wine into his hands saying, “This is My Blood of the new and everlasting covenant which will be shed for many. As often as you do this, do it in remembrance of Me.”
Through the powers given to the priest at ordination, the consecrated Host is now the true and living Body of Christ and the wine is the true and living Blood of Christ.
These banners are to remind us of this important truth!