Two Small Books That Will Help Make Your Advent More than Just About Shopping

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2003

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d family obligations and non-stop advertisements for gifts we cannot possibly afford. On that last note, if anyone actually has enough free cash to be giving cars as Christmas gifts the way the commercials all imply, feel free to throw some of it my way. But I digress.</p><p id="eb6f">You could do what I do every year and make grand resolutions at the start of the season: go to Mass every day during Advent, attend a penance service, give to charity instead of getting gifts for people I don’t even like (then repent for not liking them), and generally stop being a jackwagon for three weeks. Chances are that you will keep none of those resolutions; I know I never do.</p><p id="f740">As with most things, it’s best to start with small, achievable goals that you are far more likely to stick with. An added benefit of this approach is that it allows me to suggest something you all know I love to talk about: books (you thought I was going to say Springsteen, didn’t you?). And the two books I suggest have the advantage of being both short and affordable; one is $1.99 on Kindle and the other is$ 2.99, so for less than a Venti Pumpkin Spice Latte you can get your Advent going in the right direction. For those who prefer physical copies, I apologize; I waited too long to write this.</p><p id="3c1a">The two books are Bishop Robert Barron’s 2023 <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Advent-Gospel-Reflections-Robert-Barron-ebook/dp/B0CLKWFYNB/ref=sr_1_1?crid=3J449SH18WWZ4&keywords=advent+gospel+reflections+2023+word+on+fire&qid=1701539393&sprefix=word+on+fire+a%2Caps%2C140&sr=8-1"><i>Advent Gospel Reflections</i></a><i> </i>and the 2023 <a href="https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0CH1MYXV6?ref=typ_qv_ov_kndl_dp_rw"><i>Magnificat Advent Companion</i></a><i>. Advent Gospel Reflections</i> features the full gospel reading from the lectionary for each day of Advent, a brief reflection from Bishop Barron, and questions for reflection. I recommend reading this one in the morning because i

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t is the shortest and you can ponder that day’s gospel/reflection throughout the day. If you’ve ever listened to Bishop Barron or his Word on Fire podcast, you know he can pack a lot into a brief reflection.</p><p id="687e">The <i>Magnificat Advent Companion </i>is a longer devotional book that also has the gospel for each day with a reflection at the end. I suggest reading this one before going to bed each night; you get the gospel again and something to consider as you drift off to sleep. This book also has added features that include prayers for the blessing of your Advent wreath and Christmas tree (did you know you could bless your tree?), various prayers and essays, and the traditional O Antiphons prayed from December 17th to 23rd. You know part of these already from the song below:</p> <figure id="21cc"> <div> <div> <img class="ratio" src="http://placehold.it/16x9"> <iframe class="" src="https://cdn.embedly.com/widgets/media.html?src=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.youtube.com%2Fembed%2F7xtpJ4Q_Q-4%3Ffeature%3Doembed&display_name=YouTube&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.youtube.com%2Fwatch%3Fv%3D7xtpJ4Q_Q-4&image=https%3A%2F%2Fi.ytimg.com%2Fvi%2F7xtpJ4Q_Q-4%2Fhqdefault.jpg&key=a19fcc184b9711e1b4764040d3dc5c07&type=text%2Fhtml&schema=youtube" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="480" width="480"> </div> </div> </figure></iframe></div></div></figure><p id="eac0">The total amount of time you’ll spend with both books combined is less than 30 minutes a day (probably far less). And that brief commitment of time might just spur you on to do a few of those more ambitious things I mentioned earlier. I know I’m hoping that for myself this year.</p><p id="73ee"><i>If you enjoyed this story, you can support my writing directly by leaving a tip below using the small (and kind of weird) hand icon (you tip waiters and bartenders, so why not writers?).</i></p></article></body>

Don’t let this Christmas season be just about Amazon

“Nativity” by Botticelli, circa 1475 (Image: Wikimedia Commons)

If you read my annual piece on good/bad/ugly Advent calendars a few days ago, you know that Advent starts on Sunday, December 3rd (for me as I type this, that’s tomorrow). For the vast majority of people, Advent means little more than those silly calendars and perhaps a wreath as we count down to Christmas day. However, Advent means much more than that.

Advent is, in its simplest terms, the season during which we prepare for the birth of Christ. The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops website describes it like this:

The Advent season is a time of preparation that directs our hearts and minds to Christ’s second coming at the end of time and to the anniversary of Our Lord’s birth on Christmas. Like Lent, the liturgical color for Advent is purple since both are seasons that prepare us for great feast days. Advent also includes an element of penance in the sense of preparing, quieting, and disciplining our hearts for the full joy of Christmas.

It is more than the crass commercialism or constant beating that the holiday season has become in 2023. It is a time of joy, penance, and getting ready for the real meaning of Christmas.

But how exactly can we prepare for this when we are bombarded with to-do lists and family obligations and non-stop advertisements for gifts we cannot possibly afford. On that last note, if anyone actually has enough free cash to be giving cars as Christmas gifts the way the commercials all imply, feel free to throw some of it my way. But I digress.

You could do what I do every year and make grand resolutions at the start of the season: go to Mass every day during Advent, attend a penance service, give to charity instead of getting gifts for people I don’t even like (then repent for not liking them), and generally stop being a jackwagon for three weeks. Chances are that you will keep none of those resolutions; I know I never do.

As with most things, it’s best to start with small, achievable goals that you are far more likely to stick with. An added benefit of this approach is that it allows me to suggest something you all know I love to talk about: books (you thought I was going to say Springsteen, didn’t you?). And the two books I suggest have the advantage of being both short and affordable; one is $1.99 on Kindle and the other is $2.99, so for less than a Venti Pumpkin Spice Latte you can get your Advent going in the right direction. For those who prefer physical copies, I apologize; I waited too long to write this.

The two books are Bishop Robert Barron’s 2023 Advent Gospel Reflections and the 2023 Magnificat Advent Companion. Advent Gospel Reflections features the full gospel reading from the lectionary for each day of Advent, a brief reflection from Bishop Barron, and questions for reflection. I recommend reading this one in the morning because it is the shortest and you can ponder that day’s gospel/reflection throughout the day. If you’ve ever listened to Bishop Barron or his Word on Fire podcast, you know he can pack a lot into a brief reflection.

The Magnificat Advent Companion is a longer devotional book that also has the gospel for each day with a reflection at the end. I suggest reading this one before going to bed each night; you get the gospel again and something to consider as you drift off to sleep. This book also has added features that include prayers for the blessing of your Advent wreath and Christmas tree (did you know you could bless your tree?), various prayers and essays, and the traditional O Antiphons prayed from December 17th to 23rd. You know part of these already from the song below:

The total amount of time you’ll spend with both books combined is less than 30 minutes a day (probably far less). And that brief commitment of time might just spur you on to do a few of those more ambitious things I mentioned earlier. I know I’m hoping that for myself this year.

If you enjoyed this story, you can support my writing directly by leaving a tip below using the small (and kind of weird) hand icon (you tip waiters and bartenders, so why not writers?).