Advent is here. Traditionally I don’t plan particularly well for this important time of year- with all of the holiday planning somehow this gets away from me. I am determined this year to focus more intentionally on the preparation for the celebration of our Lord’s birth. Here is what I have in mind:
- There are 24 chapters in the book of Luke. I plan to read a chapter for each day of Advent leading up to Christmas Day- what a wonderful way to read about the life of our Lord! Doing this with family members will help to prepare all of our hearts!
- I am keeping a prayer journal. This is something that I have talked about doing for some time, but I haven’t done it. Having just seen the movie about Mr. Rogers (starring Tom Hanks), which was incredibly inspiring, I am newly motivated to write down the names of the people I pray for, and to pray every morning- as Mr. Rogers did. If you haven’t seen this movie, I would recommend doing it this Advent!
- As we know from Matt. 17-21; Mark 9:29 – Jesus teaches that only prayer and fasting had special power to cure a man possessed by a demon. Jesus teaches about the efficacy of fasting and how fasting, coupled with prayer, is acceptable and pleasing to God. I don’t really know anyone (that I am aware of) who is possessed by a demon, but I do know that fasting coupled with prayer is powerful. This Advent I plan to be more disciplined about fasting (but in a way that isn’t noticeable to others- as the Bible also tells us to fast with a smile on our faces!).
- I plan to schedule mass attendance a few times during the week and to confession weekly.
- I printed off an Advent suggestion list from the internet- one for each day. It is things like “give someone a hug today”, or “let someone go ahead of you in line”. These are really nice reminders to make this season about sharing the love of Jesus with others!
If you have special Advent practices, please comment below! I would love to add more to this special time of year!
My Catholic Journey 