Advent Reflections & Meditations

Advent 2016

Advent: A Time to ReflectDecember can be overwhelming with planning and gift buying. It is far too easy to forget about Advent and the meaning of the season.

This Advent book is intended to help you take the time to pray and reflect. This book is from a Catholic perspective, but most of it should be helpful to all Christians and seekers.

Act of Love O Lord God, I love you with all my heart & soul because you are all good and worthy of all my love. I love my neighbor for my love of you. I forgive all who have injured me & I ask pardon for all whom I have injured.

Call someone you have not talked to in a long time. Do not just dash off a quick text, but really take the time to

visit with them.

Acts 4:11

Jesus is 'the stone you builders rejected, which has become the cornerstone.’

–Andrew Greeley

“Grace is everywhere. All is Grace.”

Simple Pleasures

Read a good book

Listen to relaxing music

Sit and enjoy a mug of tea or coffee

Look out the window

Make your home smell festive

Corporal Works for Mercy

Give food to the hungry.

Give drink to the thirsty.

Cloth the naked.

Shelter the homeless.

Care for the sick.

Visit the Imprisoned

Bury the dead.

As you are decorating take the time to really appreciate each decoration. If a

decoration has sentimental value share the story with your family and friends.

Do I live every day of my life following Christ’s example or just when I am at

church?

Time Out

Take time to pray and/or meditate. Taking the time to clear your mind and focus on the true meaning of the season makes to easier to deal with the practicalities of making Christmas joyful for yourself and those around you.

Make it a priority to get enough sleep and exercise.

Jesus was born in a stable because there was no room at the inn. How would you have responded if Mary and

Joseph had come to you looking for a place for Mary to give birth to Jesus? Would you dismiss them as poor

Middle-Eastern refugees? Remember to take the time to really look at people and treat them with respect and

dignity.

Our Father who art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done on earth as it

is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our

trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from

evil.

The BeatitudesBlessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

Blessed are they who mourn, for they will be comforted.

Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth.

Blessed are they who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be satisfied.

Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy.

Blessed are the pure of heart, for they will see God.

Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God.

Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

Blessed are you when people revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account.

Rejoice and be glad, for your reward will be great in heaven.

Lord, make me an instrument of your peace, Where there is hatred, let me sow love;

where there is injury, pardon; where there is doubt, faith;

where there is despair, hope; where there is darkness, light;

where there is sadness, joy;

O Divine Master, grant that I may not so much seek to be consoled as to console;

to be understood as to understand; to be loved as to love.

For it is in giving that we receive; it is in pardoning that we are pardoned;

and it is in dying that we are born to eternal life.

Relax

Oh come, Thou Wisdom from on high,

And order all things, far and nigh;

To us the path of knowledge show,

And cause us in her ways to go.

Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel

Shall come to thee, O Israel.

Oh Come, Oh Come, Emmanuel

–Matthew 25:40

“The King will reply, 'Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you

did for me.”

Helping Friends Enjoy the Holidays

Offer to help a friend, relative, or neighbor decorate their home.

Take the time to really listen. For many people, especially those who have lost loved ones during the year, the holidays can be hard.

If you and a friend are both planning gatherings consider combining supplies. Have one person go to half the stores and one person going to the other stores.

Write, record, and share family stories. Too often people only realize after someone has died

that they wish they had heard their stories.

Remember that ultimately people's enjoyment of the

holidays is not dependent on napkin colors. If you are

overwhelmed by the details, take a step back and focus on

the big picture.

Act of Hope

Oh Lord God, relying on your infinite power & wisdom I hope to obtain pardon for my sins through

the merits everlasting of Jesus Christ our Lord and Redeemer.

Matthew 5:44

But I say to you, Love your enemies: do good to them that hate you: and pray for them that persecute and calumniate

you: That you may be the children of your Father who is in heaven, who maketh his sun to rise upon the good, and bad,

and raineth upon the just and the unjust.

A Season to Read

Curl up on a couch or chair with a good book.

Choose at least one spiritual book to read during Advent.

Take the time to reflect on the book.

Imagine if you were part of the story. How would you react?

–Luke 6:37-38

Do not judge, and you will not be judged. Do not condemn, and you will not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be

forgiven. Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be

poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.

A Season for Charity

All seasons are a good time to help those less fortunate, but the holidays are especially hard for those struggling with illness, family problems, and job stresses.

Donate warm coats and extra blankets to shelters

Visit neighbors, family, and friends who are elderly or in poor health.

If you knit or make other crafts consider donating them.

Volunteer to help serve food at a shelter or soup kitchen

–Pope Francis in Laudato Si

“We must regain the conviction that we need one another, that we have a shared responsibility for others and the world,

and that being good is worth it.”

Donate

Donate books, clothes, decorations, and other small household items to a local charity store.

Some animal shelters accept linens, towels, and pillows in good condition.

Check and see whether a local school or church is collecting books for the gift of reading.

Many supermarkets accept non-perishable food donations.

Eternal rest grant unto them, O Lord, and let perpetual light shine upon them.

May they rest in peace. Amen.

Mark 10:31

But many that are first, shall be last: and the last, first.

Shopping for a Good Cause

Charity stores often have very cheap good quality holiday decorations. Best of all the money goes to the charity.

If there is a holiday library book sale, check the sale for hidden gems. Library book sales often have out-of-print books for only a dollar. Some books at library sales are gift quality, but check books carefully.

Which Jesus hearing, marveled: and, turning about to the multitude that followed him, he said: Amen I say to you, I have not found so

great faith, not even in Israel.

Luke 7:9

–Pope Francis (October 19, 2014)

“God is not afraid of new things! That is why he is continually surprising us, opening our hearts, and guiding us

in unexpected ways.”

The Rosary

The Joyful Mysteries

The Sorrowful Mysteries

The Glorious Mysteries

The Luminous Mysteries

Take the time to really contemplate the mysteries.

Luke 2:7

And she brought forth her firstborn son, and wrapped him up in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger; because

there was no room for them in the inn.

Advent Stories

Advent and Christmas stories are a tradition of the season.

What are your favorite Advent and Christmas stories?

What stories would you like to share with those around you?

Information

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Credits: The Scripture passages on pages 18, 23, 25, 32, and 35 are from the Douay-Rheims Bible. The Scripture passages on pages 5 and 19 are from the New International Version.