Prepare the Way of the Lord at Advent & Christmas

Christian life is one of preparation. In order to prepare to celebrate the sacred mystery of the Eucharist, we acknowledge our sins. In order to prepare to celebrate the birth of our God as a tiny baby, for us and for our salvation, the Church wisely celebrates the Advent season. Before we know it Advent will be here. So, how do we prepare for Advent, itself?

That’s the focus of this post: to get a little ahead of the calendar in order to equip us, first of all, for a peaceful and prayerful Advent, and then for a happy, holy and joy-filled Christmas season.

To that end, SpiritualDirection.com has a plethora of suggestions to assist in meaningful preparation and gift selection so as to make it easier to orient our souls to this holy time. Although this is lengthy, these recommendations are by no means exhaustive but are intended to help all of us focus on the conversion of heart that these holy seasons are meant to bring us to. There are some oldies but goodies on the list as well as some new ideas, too. Don’t pick or do everything, or you’ll drive yourself and others crazy and you will fail to enter into the peace and spirit of the season. Prayerfully, pick or do just a few, or even one of these suggestions you will really stick with, which will draw you closer to Christ…and to others for Christ. Click on the highlighted titles to access the links.

Advent Season:

• Apps:
  • Advent Apps from Catholic Aptitude
  • Adventus (iOS only)
  • Daily Advent Blessings (iOS, Google Play)
  • iBreviary (iPhone, iPad, iPod Touch, Android, Kindle Fire, Windows Phone 7, Blackberry, mobile version, widgets)
  • Lectio Divina for Advent (iOS, Google Play)
  • Magnificat (iOS, Kindle, Nook, Kobo)
• Books and Booklets:
  • Of course, any of the books on our Life-Changing Reading Program list are excellent. Click here to see our post which featues them.
  • Start praying the Liturgy of the Hours. There are several ways to do this:
    • The Liturgy of the Hours – 4 Volume Set
    • The Liturgy of the Hours – 1 Volume – Shorter Christian Prayer (Morning and Evening Prayer)
    • Daria Sockey’s “how to” book: The Everyday Catholic’s Guide to the Liturgy of the Hours
    • Praying the Liturgy of the Hours by Fr. Timothy Gallagher
  • Jesus is the Gift by Regis Flaherty
  • O Radiant Dawn: 5-Minute Prayers Around the Advent Wreath by Lisa Hendey
  • Magnificat Advent Companion
  • Welcome Baby Jesus: Advent and Christmas Reflections for Families (in English) and Bienvenido Niño Jesús (in Spanish) by Sarah Reinhard
• DVDs:
  • Star of Bethlehem (as seen on EWTN)
• For the Home Altar: consider giving candles, incense, a beautiful painting or icon. Click here to see a post on setting up a home altar.
• Fasting for Advent
• Gifts:
  • A gift towards continuing Catholic theological formation for religious and the faithful poor at the Avila-Institute.
  • Gifts of good will (requires cooperation of others):
    • Help your neighbor hide their Christmas gifts at your home, wrap them for the neighbor, and deliver them when the family is at an evening Christmas Eve Mass or Midnight Mass
    • Put your neighbor’s/parent’s/etc Christmas card list on the computer. Print it out for them and print out labels to go along with the list. Do this early!
    • Participate in (or start) your parish’s Christmas Giving Tree for those in need.
• History of the Advent Wreath by Fr. William Saunders
• Music:
  • A Season of Hope – Produced by the Brotherhood of Hope Religious Brothers (scroll down)
  • Advent at Ephesus – Music of the Benedictines of Mary, Queen of Apostles
• Posts on SpiritualDirection.com (free – no charge!):
  • Advent Anxiety Series: Part I   Part II   Part III
  • Mary, Advent of Christ
  • Prince of Peace Series: 30 Advent Meditations and 30 Christmas Meditations each with short readings and summary meditation points.
  • The Three Advents of Ascent
• Prayer:
  • Lectio Divina:
    • A Guide to Lectio Divina
    • Into the Deep: Finding Peace Through Prayer by Dan Burke – How to start, restart, or improve your prayer life
    • Lectio Divina and the Practice of Teresian Prayer 
    • Praying Scripture for a Change – An Introduction to Lectio Divina by Tim Gray 
  • Liturgy of the Hours. Sources and Helps:
    • The Liturgy of the Hours – 4 Volume Set
    • The Liturgy of the Hours – 1 Volume – Shorter Christian Prayer (Morning and Evening Prayer)
    • Daria Sockey’s “how to” book: The Everyday Catholic’s Guide to the Liturgy of the Hours
    • Praying the Liturgy of the Hours by Fr. Timothy Gallagher
  • Specific Meditations:
    • Meditations for Advent by Bishop Jacques-Bénigne Bossuet
    • Let us Adore Him: Daily Reflections for Advent and Christmas by Fr. Richard Fragomeni
  • Novenas:
    • During Advent:
      • Immaculate Conception Novena – from November 29th through December 7th
    • In Preparation for Christmas:
      • Christmas Anticipation Prayer (begins on November 30th, the Feast of St. Andrew the Apostle, and is prayed until Christmas)
      • Christmas Novena (begins December 16th)
      • Las Posadas: The Christmas Novena which begins on December 16th – Listen to and contemplate on these meditations recorded by the Carmelite Sisters of the Most Sacred Heart of Los Angeles
  • Retreats Guides from rcspirituality (not part of SpiritualDirection.com) Free (or donation):
    • The Art of Waiting: A Retreat Guide for Advent
    • The Christmas Apostle: Advent Retreat Guide on St John the Evangelist
    • Do I Need a Savior? An Advent Retreat Guide on the Prophet Isaiah
    • The Hidden Treasures of Christmas: A Retreat Guide for Advent
    • Starlight: A Retreat Guide for Advent on the Three Wise Men
    • You Matter: A Retreat Guide for Advent
  • Pray the Rosary!
• Sites:
  • Free:  Give the gift of a faithful Catholic source (a free subscription to SpiritualDirection.com to friends, family, your priest(s) and deacon(s), and those that work in your parish).  Find the box under the crucifix, at the top of this page, which has the picture of an envelope on it.  Click on the envelope and, when the box expands, fill in the form with the email and zip code of the person you wish to give the gift subscription to.  Then click “Send” and you’re done! You can do this as many times as you like, for as many different people as you like.
  • Free: US Conference of Catholic Bishops’ (USCCB’s) Advent Site

Christmas Season (Many Advent sites above are also applicable to the Christmas season).

• First and foremost, give Baby Jesus a gift: the gift of your heart converted to Him!
• Be Joyful! Christ is born for us!
• Say Merry Christmas or Blessed Christmas…no matter the reaction of others!
• Wait to put baby Jesus in the crèche until after Christmas Eve Mass:  http://www.catholicicing.com/putting-jesus-in-creche-family/
• Apps:
  • Magnificat (iOS, Kindle, Nook, Kobo)
•  Books:
  • Of course, any of the books on our Life-Changing Reading Program list are excellent for Christmas, too. Click here to see our post which features them.
  • 30 Days with Teresa of Avila Letters of St. Teresa of Avila with reflections by Dan Burke and Anthony Lilles
  • A Catholic Guide to Mindfulness by Susan Brinkmann, OCDS
  • Elizabeth of the Trinity: A Life of Praise to God by Sr. Giovanna Della Croce, OCD, translated by Julie Enzler
  • Finding God Through Meditation by St. Peter of Alcántara, edited by Dan Burke
  • Fire from Above: Christian Contemplation and Mystical Wisdom by Dr. Anthony Lilles
  • How Far Is It To Bethlehem? by Frances A. Chesterton, edited by Nancy Carpentier Brown
  • How to Read your Way to Heaven: A Spiritual Reading Program for the Worst of Sinners, the Greatest of Saints, and Everyone in Between by Vicki Burbach
  • Into the Deep: Finding Peace Through Prayer by Dan Burke – How to start, restart, or improve your prayer life
  • Living the Mystery of Merciful Love: 30 Days with Thérèse of Lisieux with an introduction and reflections by Dr. Anthony Lilles and Dan Burke
  • Navigating the Interior Life: Spiritual Direction and the Journey to God by Dan Burke. Also available in Spanish as: Navegando la Vida Interior: La Dirección Espiritual y el Camino a Dios
  • The Contemplative Rosary with St. John Paul II and St. Teresa of Avila by Dan Burke and Connie Rossini
  • Word by Word: Slowing Down with the Hail Mary by Sarah Reinhard
• Donations:
  • A gift of a continuing donation to the Avila Foundation (parent of Catholic Spiritual Direction, the Avila Institute for Spiritual Formation, Divine Intimacy Radio, “Into the Deep” Parish Programs, the Apostoli Viae – Apostles of the Way – Community, the High Calling Seminary Preparation Program, and the FireLight Student Leadership Formation Program) whose mission it is to excite, encourage and draw the hearts of every soul who desires God into the unfathomable riches of His grace and love, in a sense, to set hearts free to say “yes” to Him. The Avila Foundation is offering incentives for such donations (we have engaged a remarkable artist, Arasely Rios, to create beautiful and unique “Contemplative Rosaries” to accompany The Contemplative Rosary book for you, or to give as an heirloom gift to a loved one. See our post on her rosaries by clicking here.). When you

    • donate $25 / month and, as a gift, you will receive: The Contemplative Rosary book

      donate $100 / month and, as a gift, you will receive: The Contemplative Rosary book St. Joseph One Decade Rosary OR Heirloom One Decade Rosary

      donate $150 / month and, as a gift, you will receive: The Contemplative Rosary book Sacred Heart One Decade Rosary OR One Decade Heirloom Rosary

      donate $200 / month and, as a gift, you will receive: The Contemplative Rosary book Carmel Heirloom Rosary, masculine or feminine

      donate $1,000+ one time and, as a gift, you will receive: The Contemplative Rosary book St. Joseph One Decade Rosary OR Heirloom One Decade Rosary Carmel Heirloom Rosary, masculine OR feminine

      donate $5,000+ one time and, as a gift, you will receive: The Contemplative Rosary book St. Joseph One Decade Rosary Heirloom One Decade Rosary Sacred Heart One Decade Rosary One Decade Heirloom Rosary Carmel Heirloom Rosary, masculine Carmel Heirloom Rosary, feminine

      Click here to see a short video on these rosaries and to donate to the Avila Foundation.

  • A gift towards continuing Catholic theological formation for religious and the faithful poor at the Avila-Institute. Click here to donate.
  • A gift towards the High Calling Seminary Preparatory Program. Click here to donate.
  • For the poorest of the poor:
    • Clothing
    • Food
    • Housing
    • Sponsor a poor child or poor adult in need.
  • For your own parish and/or parish school: an altar cloth, vestment (chasuble, stole, vesture for altar servers), liturgical vessel(s), processional crucifix, thurible, candle(s), incense, heart defibrillator, etc. Please check with your pastor first to see what is most needed.
  • For those who help others, among them:
    • Birthright
    • Catholic Daughters
    • Knights of Columbus
    • Local Homeless Ministries and/or Soup Kitchens
    • Rachel Ministries (post-abortion counseling)
    • St. Vincent de Paul Society
• Invite someone to Mass…and get there early!
• Music: See our post on Chant here.
• Posts: Prince of Peace Series: 30 Advent Meditations and 30 Christmas Meditations each with short readings and summary meditation points.
• Prayer:
  • Help someone learn to pray the Liturgy of the Hours!
  • Pray the Rosary!
• Rosaries: Awe-inspiring rosaries by Arasely Rios of Seraphym Design. Click here for her website and click here for our post on these beautiful rosaries.
• Sites:
  • Free: Give the gift of a faithful Catholic source (a free subscription to SpiritualDirection.com to friends, family, your priest(s) and deacon(s), and those that work in your parish). Find the box under the crucifix, at the top of this page, which has the picture of an envelope on it. Click on the envelope and, when the box expands, fill in the form with the email and zip code of the person you wish to give the gift subscription to. Then click “Send” and you’re done! You can do this as many times as you like, for as many different people as you like.
  • Free: US Catholic Conference of Bishops’ (USCCB’s) Christmas Site

Feel free to add your own suggestions/recommendations to the comments…which are faithful to the magisterium (we check all links…click here to read our FAQ–Frequently Asked Questions ).

God bless all as we anticipate these wonderful seasons of the liturgical year and prepare for the birthday of Jesus Christ, Emmanuel, God with us!

Please pray for us as we pray for you!
Love and blessings,
Liz Estler, Editor, SpiritualDirection.com, together with all the dedicated men and women of the Avila Team

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Art for this post Prepare the Way of the Lord at Advent & Christmas: Modified Adventkranz (liturgisch), Andrea Schaufler, 2 December 2006, CCA; Modified detail of Scenes of the Life of the Virgin-Adoration of the Child, Fra Filippo Lippi (1406-1459), undated, Zyance, May 2007, CCA-SA; both Wikimedia Commons.