CBJ, & CNA—As calendars get filled up and preparations are made, here are SIX resources to help you get ready to enter into the deeper meaning of Christmas.
Advent Wreath at home
Simple. Easy. Powerful because it helps keeps the focus on the somewhat penitential season of ADVENT.
“Advent” comes from the Latin Ad Venire – “Looking forward” or “Looking toward,” literally “to come.” 
The Advent Wreath is comprised of four candles—three purple and one rose-colored— in a circle. A fifth candle, white, may be added in the middle to be lit on Christmas Day to celebrate the birth of Christ.
After the four weeks of Advent, we celebrate the Birth of Christ at Christmas, namely the Christmas Octave (like Easter, the Incarnation of Christ is too radically transformative a Feast to be celebrated in just one day and therefore it is celebrated for 8 days, “the Christmas Octave”!). Beyond this, the Twelve Days of Christmas (the 12th day of course being the arrival of the Wise Men to the Infant’s Manger celebrated as Epiphany) encompass the full Christmas season.
Powerful, Beautiful Saint Andrew Christmas Prayer
It is piously believed that whoever recites the St. Andrew Christmas novena prayer FIFTEEN times each day from the feast of St. Andrew (November 30th) until Christmas Eve will obtain the favor requested.
Hail and blessed be the hour and moment in which Jesus, the Son of God, was born of the most pure Virgin Mary, at midnight, in Bethlehem, in the piercing cold. In that hour vouchsafe, I beseech Thee, O my God, to hear my prayer and grant my petition through the merits of Our Savior Jesus Christ, and of His blessed Mother.
“The true beauty of this prayer, even if said imperfectly,” says the founder of the Catholic Business Journal, “is that over the years, due to the repetition, you find that the words echo in your mind throughout the year, adding depth, hope and deeper meaning and wonder to the transformative mystery of the Incarnation in the world and in our life.”
Hallow
This year for Advent, take part in Hallow’s Advent Pray25 Prayer Challenge beginning on Dec. 2. The prayer 
challenge includes reading and meditating on “A Severe Mercy” by Sheldon Vanauken alongside Catholic actor Jonathan Roumie, adventurer and survivalist Bear Grylls, and Sister Agnus Dei of the Sisters of Life. Biblical scholar Jeff Cavins and author Francis Chan will also reflect on Scripture. Plus, Roumie and Father Chrysostom Bear will dive into the book “A Divine Intimacy,” a book of Carmelite meditations, alongside Catholic actor Kevin James.
On Saturdays during the Advent prayer challenge, listeners will encounter God’s love through music with Gwen Stefani, Lauren Daigle, Matt Maher, and Sarah Kroger.
Hallow’s Advent Pray25 Prayer Challenge will include music from Gwen Stefani and Lauren Daigle, among other, and readings and meditations with Catholic actors Jonathan Roumie and Kevin James and adventurer Bear Grylls, along with several others.
Word On Fire
Bishop Robert Barron’s “Advent Gospel Reflections” is a devotional booklet that invites readers into the prayerful nature of the season. It features the full Gospel reading for each day of Advent, a daily reflection from Bishop Barron, and space for journaling and to answer reflection questions. This book is great for an individual seeking to grow in their faith during Advent as well as families or parishes seeking to grow together. 
EWTN Religious Catalogue
The EWTN Religious Catalogue offers a variety of Advent devotionals including “Advent Reflections: Meditations for a Holy Advent,” “Advent with Our Lady of Fatima” by Donna Marie Cooper O’Boyle, and “The Jesse Tree: An Advent Devotion” by Eric and Suzan Sammons. Each of these devotionals offer daily reflections and meditations to help you find peace in Christ amid the hustle and bustle.
Ascension
Join Father Mike Schmitz for Face to Face: Advent with Fr. Mike Schmitz on the Ascension app. Schmitz will take you on a journey through daily video reflections and Scripture passages to discover who God is, who we are, and how we are made worthy to stand in his presence. The theme of the program focuses on the idea of how we would live Advent differently if we knew that Christmas Day was the day we were going to die. One would have to live it with more purpose, intentionality, and grace. Through this Advent program, Schmitz encourages us to live Advent differently and prepares us to meet God face to face.
RELATED RESOURCES:
- Advent Gospel Reflections 2024, by Bishop Barron
- Pocket Guide to the Sacrament of Reconciliation, by Fr. Mike Schmitz
- Advent Reflections: Meditations for a Holy Advent, by Brandon McGinley
- Advent with Our Lady of Fatima, by Donna-Marie Cooper O’Boyle
- The Jesse Tree: An Advent Devotion, by Erick and Suzan Sammons
- Hallow’s Advent Pray25 Prayer Challenge
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