Week of November 29-December 5

 

We are seeing a lot of black and gold these days. Our football team, the New Orleans Saints, currently holds an undefeated record of 10-0. The city and all their fans are proud. Anna even talks about the “Saints Scrubs” that her nurse colleagues have for special Black and Gold Days. In fact, Monday has been declared one of those special days and our grade school teachers are afraid that Tuesday will prove to be difficult since most families will stay up to watch the game together. All in all, our love for the Saints is best expressed by famou Jazz Performer,  Kermitt Ruffins when he sings “All I want for Christmas is the Saints in the SuperBowl.”

 

Other colors this time of year include oranges, yellows, and reds symbolic of Fall and of Harvest… And about this time I get a phone call from my mother confirming the color purple as the first week of Advent. She wants to make sure she lights the right candle on her Advent Wreath, or better yet, the color of her blouse she will wear to Mass to coordinate with the designated liturgical colors.

 

Colors become symbols of a story greater then just our own. As the days grow darker, we are keenly appreciative of the light and life of the day, the brilliance of the colors of green, red, white, and today, purple.

 

Purple Purple Pink Purple. The four colors that remind us that we are getting ready for the birth of Christ who lived and lives among us in order to redeem the world. Purple, the combination of red for passion and divinity and blue for worldliness and humanity, becomes our symbol of hope as we wait for the coming of our Saviour.

 

So whether you wear black or purple these days, call to mind the hope that Christmas brings… and if its anything like the joy of being in the SuperBowl, then Thanks be to God!