Advent Devotionals
Even though she is a Doctor of the Church, St. Thérèse of Lisieux is more well-known for being the "little flower" of Jesus. Through her "little way," she has inspired many Catholics to love God simply, devoutly, and with great love. St. Thérèse believed that no act of faith is too small for God. Loving God in this way wasn't always easy for St. Thérèse, but even through her suffering and death at age twenty-four she tried to love God with all her heart.
In her autobiography, Story of a Soul (L'Histoire d'une Âme), St. Thérèse shares the story of her "little way" and helps us see God in his smallest creations. John Cleary uses passages from Story of a Soul to inspire us to embrace our own smallness this Advent and Christmas and see past the glamour and hype of a material Christmas to the small miracle that comes on December 25.
Prepare for and celebrate Christ's coming with brief daily meditations for Advent and the Christmas season. Scripture readings, a personal reflection, a question to ponder or act to consider, and a short prayer to Saint Joseph are sure to touch your heart and lead you to a deeper relationship with Jesus and his foster father, Joseph.
Perhaps the Christmas story has become almost too familiar. A virgin giving birth. A child laid in a manger. Shepherds greeted by angels. The Christmas story has become so familiar that the profound, even shocking, nature of the incarnation might be overlooked. But what if we had never heard the story before? What if we were hearing it for the first time, like the first-century Jews? These events certainly would not be taken for granted—they would signal something new: the dawning of the long-awaited Messiah.
Amid the hustle and bustle of the secular pre-Christmas season, these Advent reflections invite you to slow down and reflect on the season's spiritual and liturgical themes. Shared over the years with grateful EWTN audiences by good priests and bishops, they will help you do just that.
Covering the Sunday Advent readings and events leading up to the birth of Jesus, these meditations carry you back to Bethlehem but take you earlier as well to ancient Israel, where prophets foretold the coming of the Messiah. For in Advent we look both backward and forward – but always toward that for which we are awaiting: the second coming of Christ.
Let these holy bishops and priests take you on a refreshing spiritual journey through Advent and bring you to the deeper reality of the season, cutting through the secular distractions and anxieties, and deliver you to the Christ Child.
Each Advent, you adorn your tree and home with sparkling ornaments – this year, with the help of these Advent Reflections, adorn your spirit with the Word of God!
With the sure guidance of Our Lady of Fatima, the frustrations of our modern Christmas seasons will soon melt away. Advent will become for you a period of expectant waiting and a time of joy and hope, as you experience within you an ever-growing desire for the coming celebration of the birth of Jesus.
Here's a treasure trove of exciting ideas that will enable your family to focus anew on preparing for the holy time of Advent and Christmas! With a fresh, lively set of suggestions that will attract young and old alike, Joy to the World will help lay the foundation for long-lasting family memories.
Joy to the World takes a three-pronged approach to the season:
The Advent calendar, where daily activities are organized into four categories of Service, Spiritual Growth, "Homebody," and Pure Fun
The Evening Ritual, incorporating the Advent wreath and the Jesse tree, and featuring simplified Scriptures that young children can readily understand
The "Good Deeds Manger," which puts the family's focus on preparing their hearts for the coming of Christ
This Advent, help your entire family prepare for the birth of Jesus with Light for the World: A Catholic Kid's Guide for Advent and Christmas. Written and illustrated for your entire family, this softcover book explains Catholic traditions and feast days that we celebrate throughout the seasons of Advent and Christmas. Light for the World is just what your family needs to truly know and appreciate the "Reason for the Season".
Pages: 54
Embark on a prayerful journey for this Advent and many Advents to come, and prepare the most important present of all, a prayerful heart ready to welcome our Lord Jesus Christ!
Designed to be used individually, or as a support for family and community prayer, each day features an opening reflection, a Scripture reading from daily Mass, intercessions, prayers, and inspiring illustrations by award-winning illustrator Éric Puybaret. This precious resource will be treasured year after year because it includes all the days of Advent, adapted for the three-year liturgical cycle, and calendars to guide its use through the year 2030.
Ages 7 and up
This Advent, don’t get caught up in the busyness. Don’t get lost in the anxiety of preparing for a day. Joyfully anticipate the coming of the person of Jesus through an encounter with his Most Blessed Mother.
Imagine having an Advent that is more peaceful, more joyful, and more meaningful than ever before.
The Rejoice! Advent Meditations with Mary Journal not only lets you walk beside Mary during the first Advent, but also lets you get to know her in a way you haven’t before.
Rejoice! offers more than insights and information about Mary’s life—it offers an opportunity for you to encounter Mary in the quiet of your heart.
Each day, in a few short pages, Fr. Toups provides you with aids to help guide your prayer:
- A word - Focus on a single word each day to draw out the details, the specifics of who Our Lady is.
- A reflection - Learn more about Mary, the culture in which she was raised, and the world in which she lived.
- A Psalm - Each day, you’re given a Psalm to pray (just as Mary herself would have prayed) to help you enter into prayer.
- A reading - In reading Scripture, you find the Word of God, bringing you closer to Mary, who carried the Word in her body.
- A prompt - Space is provided each day to journal. Record how the Lord is speaking to you this Advent.
- paperback
- 102 pages
- full-color original artwork
- matte lamination cover
Saint John Henry Newman was one of the most beloved and well-known preachers of his time. Originally an Anglican priest, Newman converted to Catholicism and became a Catholic priest and cardinal. Known for his beautiful prose and exultant preaching, Newman has long been a source of inspiration for those in the Church. In this new and compact compilation of his sermons, you’re invited to journey with St. John Henry Newman through Advent into Christmas and Epiphany, meditating on the coming of Christ and the Christian life. Newman’s masterful knowledge of the lives of the saints, Catholic doctrine, and, above all, Sacred Scripture, will help you immerse yourself in these liturgical seasons of waiting, wondering, and joy.
These beautiful meditations guide you through reflections on:
- Preparing for the Lord’s coming at Christmas and the end of time
- Our dependence upon the Lord’s goodness
- What happens when we do not seek truth
- Mary’s role in salvation history
- God’s call for each and every one of us to holiness
- Glorifying God in the world
- True joy
- Martyrdom, affliction, and consolation
- Love as the one thing needful
Waiting for Christ, provides an opportunity to spend a few minutes with St. John Henry Newman and Christ every day of the Advent and Christmas seasons, preparing for the coming of the Lord.
St. Pio of Pietrelcina had a deep devotion to the Christ Child. The man more commonly known as Padre Pio also possessed extraordinary and unique mystical gifts: Jesus often came to him in the form of a little child.
In Welcoming the Christ Child with Padre Pio, stories about the saint known for his stigmata and ability to bilocate are woven with scripture and prayer to help you experience Advent--Padre Pio's favorite season--with greater hope and joy.
Each day of Advent you will read an account from someone who knew Padre Pio, including
This book contains daily readings for Advent. Each day includes a quotation from Padre Pio, a short story about the saint, a scripture reflection, and prayer to help you follow this extraordinary saint's example and welcome the Christ Child into your home and heart during Advent.
An appendix includes additional resources and prayers to learn more about Padre Pio.