Advent Resources:

• Advent – Christmas Seasons: Directory on Popular Piety & Liturgy - Cong. for Divine Worship & Discipline of  Sacraments
• Advent & Christmas quotations: an extensive collection of inspirational poems, reflections, stories and sermon illustrations.
• Advent – Catholic Answers
• Advent (Loyola Press): History of Advent, inspirational emails, Advent traditions, blessings, scripture, prayers, Advent calendars, and activities.
• "Advent: A Season of Hope": Father Harrison Ayre | Simply Catholic
• Journey Through Advent ( Canadian Catholic Bishops): a new online weekly video series created to help Catholics to prepare for the celebration of the birth of Jesus.
• 5 Keys to a Stress-Free Christmas: Aleteia | John Touhey | published on 12/16/24. The days leading up to Christmas are often so packed that we can easily become stressed-out and forget the true "reason for the season."
• Advent – 2nd Sunday (C): Will We Be Spiritually Ready for Christmas?: User’s Guide to Advent 2nd Sunday, Msgr. Charles Pope | December 3, 2021 | NCR.
• "This Advent, Find Time for Silence": by Fr. Ed Broom, OMV | Dec. 7, 2021 | Catholic Exchange. Today we suffer from an onslaught of noise, and more than a little noise pollution! Not that noise is always bad, but it is true that the human heart, mind, and the soul longs for moments of silence. As we enter more deeply into Advent, now is a great time to learn to cultivate silence.
• Advent and the Four Last Things – Death - Judgment - Heaven - Hell: Truth be told, we don’t hear much of any of those four last things at all anymore – and we are all the poorer for it. December 1, 2019 Peter M.J. Stravinskas | Catholic World Report
• Advent Calendar 2024 (USCCB): 2024 Advent Calendar PDF to download. Includes prayers for Advent Wreath, Crèche & Christmas Tree.
  • Lectio Divina For Advent (USCCB): English & Spanish guides to meditate, contemplate, and pray on your spiritual preparation for Advent and Christmas.
• What is Advent?  – EWTN: Origins of Advent/Christmas devotions, prayers and meditations.
• Advent Calendar 2024: Irish Catholic Bishops' Conference. Advent is a time of spiritual preparation for the Lord’s coming at Christmas.
• Lighting Advent Candles: To light a candle is an act of hope. Fr. Ron Rolheiser, OM, 2002-12-01.
• What Are the 'O Antiphons'?: Fr. William Saunders (Arlington Catholic Herald)
  • "Meditation Notes on the O Antiphons" Fr. Roger J. Landry. The O Antiphons refer to the seven antiphons that are recited (or chanted) preceding the Magnificat during Vespers of the Liturgy of the Hours – Dec. 17-23, with Dec. 24 being Christmas Eve and Vespers for that evening being for the Christmas Vigil. Copyright © 2004 catholicpreaching[dot]com.
• Franciscan Advent and Christmas: Montage of Franciscan photos from Assisi and Greccio
• Las Posadas: A wonderful Mexican Christmas tradition symbolizes the Biblical journey of Mary and Joseph as they searched for shelter in Bethlehem before the birth of Jesus.
• “Five Ways St. Joseph Shows Us How to Live Out Advent” by Fr. Ed Broom, OMV. Let us quietly meditate upon five extraordinary virtues of Saint Joseph so that we can live a most fervent Advent season and allow Jesus to be born in the depths of our hearts this Christmas!

Christmas Resources:

Epiphany

• Five Lessons of the Magi Bishop Robert Barron (PDF)