Waiting and Celebrating Advent
Do you want more from your Christmas preparations? More than frantic shopping, late nights of cleaning, decorating and wrapping, and multiple weekend commitments? On December 26th do you find yourself wondering what just happened? It IS possible to get more out of all your hard work-and learn to work hard for the right things. You can take your cue from our Blessed Mother who had to take time to ponder in her heart all the things happening to her. The key is to slow down, reflect, make a plan, act intentionally, and rediscover the Advent Season.
Liturgical Year
Maybe you have forgotten (or never really knew!) the right order of the Catholic Liturgical Year. In November, the Church year ends with the Feast of Christ the King. This Feast was established by Pope Pius XI to combat growing secularism and atheism by reaffirming Christ’s authority as King. This is the wisdom of the Church in action! The next Sunday begins the new Liturgical Year with the First of the four Sundays of Advent. Advent, the season of expectant waiting, then culminates with the Feast of the Nativity of the Lord, commonly called Christmas Day. THEN the real Christmas season begins.
To help you achieve your desire to purposefully live this natural rhythm in the Church’s sacred preparation for the birth of our Lord and the true season of Christmas, here are a variety of resources – some for individuals and some for families. The descriptions are directly from the various websites. After seeing all these excellent resources, you may be tempted to try several – resist! Choose just one – don’t attempt to do it all. (Remember, you are trying to be purposeful and simplify.) Make a goal of doing just one thing each day that helps you reconnect with the true meaning of the season. The Season of Advent, that is!
The REAL Season
Then, after you have fully enjoyed the Feast of the Nativity of the Lord, you can really lean into the true Christmas season. The Octave of Christmas (the eight days beginning with Christmas Day and ending on New Year’s Day, January 1st) contains several “Little Christmases.” The full Christmas season is celebrated from December 25th until the Feast of the Baptism of the Lord on January 12th. The Church even gives us a visual clue for this sacred time. Pay attention to the vestments worn at mass during this time. You will notice your priest wearing white, a color symbolizing rejoicing and purity of soul.
Sometimes life can get in the way of our best intentions and time gets away from us. Isn’t it reassuring to know you have until January 12th to truly celebrate? Intentionally employing these resources may help you avoid cutting short the true Christmas season on December 26th. Learn to incorporate new activities and traditions for the entirety of this blessed time of waiting and celebrating. It will bless, enrich and enhance your Advent and Christmas.
(In next week’s Weekly Highlights, we will have Waiting and Celebrating – Part Two with even more resources!)
ADVENT & CHRISTMAS RESOURCES
From Blessed Is She – For Women & Kids
A Thrill of Hope: Advent Devotional for Catholic Women- With A Thrill of Hope, you’ll grow in your journey with hope, all alongside four women in Scripture: Eve, Sarah, Ruth, and Mary. Each was a woman on her way, each hoping for a Savior.
A Thrill of Hope for Kids ages 5 – 12, invites your little ones to embark on a joyful Advent journey filled with discovery and fun. Through engaging daily reflections, easy-to-understand Scripture, and creative coloring pages, children will explore the true meaning of the Advent season.
From Integrated Catholic Woman – For Women, Online Small Group
100 Miles to Bethlehem: ICW Small Group Advent program. Journey together through Advent with Our Lady on her 100-mile trek to Bethlehem. Specifically designed to lead women mind, body and soul into union with Our Lord and Our Lady to experience Advent and Christmas in an integrated way.
The program offers 6 weeks of walking fitness plans, nutrition helps, meditation prompts, community discussions (off of social media) and simple strategies to improve wholeness and health throughout Advent and beyond into the Christmas season.
From the Relevant Radio App – Family
Charles Dicken’s A Christmas Carol Audio Advent Calendar: Countdown to Christmas with Ebenezer Scrooge sharing his profound experience of grace. 25 daily, 10-minute episodes take you on an adventure you and your family will never forget. Performed by the Merry Beggars at Relevant Radio studios. Explore the thrilling world of Dickens’s A Christmas Carol with a free companion activity book of coloring pages, activity sheets, discussion guide and more.
Relevant Radio App available for download on Apple and Android devices. Also listen on Apple Podcasts, Spotify and the Merry Beggars.
From Ave Maria Press
Encountering Emmanuel – For Individuals and Groups
A Guided Advent Journal for Prayer and Meditation. Using poignant reflections and accompanying videos, Heather Khym, cohost of the Abiding Together podcast, will gently guide you into the areas of your heart where Christ has not yet come—the areas where you’ve shut him out, the places you’ve long forgotten and ignored, or the spaces you’re ashamed to acknowledge. You will be encouraged to open these spaces to the transformative power of Christ’s love.
5-Minute Prayers Around the Advent Wreath – Individuals and Families
Spend just five minutes a day praying around your Advent wreath with popular author Lisa M. Hendey, founder of CatholicMom.com. Her heart-felt reflections will help you experience the promise, renewal, and hope of the Advent season. These scripture-based devotions are perfect for any age and setting, and offer a few minutes of simplicity, focus, and sacred longing as you contemplate and prepare for the great gift of Christ’s birth.
From Catholic Market—the Augustine Institute’s online store
The Best Advent Ever: Book #3 The Adventures of Nick & Sam – Ages 7 & Up
The Perry family’s first Advent in Hope Springs is a mix of drama and comedy as Sam competes with her best friend to be in the Christmas pageant, Nick hopes to play an angel that actually flies, the search for a Christmas tree leads to danger, and family traditions take on a whole new meaning of joy.
This series is written similarly to the Adventures in Odyssey series and the Magic Tree House Series, and is recommended for readers ages seven and up, but can also be read by parents to younger children.
Browse CCL’s Store for new Games & Gifts – perfect for Advent & Christmas giving!
