By David Gibson The problem of Advent is its way of rushing by. In what can seem just the blink of an eye, Advent’s weeks are completed; Christmas arrives. December’s days are filled with shopping, festive gatherings, cooking, and the laying of plans for the big day. In his book “Finding Happiness,” Abbot Christopher Jamison, [...]

“Each Advent season, in prayer and humility we pray and prepare for Christmas. We call to mind the love of the Father reflected in the presence of his Son among us who came to teach us, forgive us, and make us holy through his gift of new life in the Holy Spirit. We and the [...]

Traditionally, Advent wreaths are constructed of a circle of evergreen branches into which four candles are inserted, representing the four weeks of Advent. Ideally, three candles are purple and one is rose, but white candles can also be used. The purple candles in particular symbolize the prayer, penance, and preparatory sacrifices and goods works undertaken [...]

by Mar Muñoz-Visoso On the first Sunday of Advent, the liturgical year begins, and with it, the preparations for Jesus’ birth at Christmas. Advent is a time of joyful hope. The word Advent comes from the Latin word that means coming or arriving. Thus, Advent is marked by the anticipation of those who await the [...]

We begin our prayer: In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen. Keep us alert, we pray, O Lord our God, as we await the advent of Christ your Son, so that, when he comes and knocks, he may find us watchful in prayer and exultant in [...]

We begin our prayer: In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen. Grant that your people, we pray, almighty God, may be ever watchful for the coming of your Only Begotten Son, that, as the author of our salvation himself has taught us, we may hasten, alert [...]

We begin our prayer: In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen. Incline a merciful ear to our cry, we pray, O Lord, and, casting light on the darkness of our hearts, visit us with the grace of your Son. Who lives and reigns with you, in [...]

What is special about the Third Sunday of Advent? For much of the Church’s history, this Sunday had a special name: “Gaudete” Sunday. The traditions surrounding this Sunday go back as far as the fourth or fifth century, as does the season of Advent itself. Advent, our preparation for Christmas, was originally a forty-day penitential [...]