Welcome to Day 9 of our Advent Calendar
Season of Advent
Advent is the four-week season before Christmas during which we prepare for the coming of Christ. The word Advent comes from the Latin word adventus, which means “coming”. The season of Advent is a time of waiting, conversion and of hope, which has a twofold character as:
- A time of preparation for the Solemnities of the Christmas season, in which the first coming of the Son of God to humanity is remembered; and,
- A time when – by remembrance of this – our minds and hearts look forward to the Second Coming of Christ at the end of time.
For these two reasons, Advent is a period of devout and expectant delight.
Our digital Advent calendar is a helpful resource for our ‘journey’ towards Christmas. Each day, by clicking on a virtual door, we are inviting you to take a few minutes to avail of our resources to rediscover the true meaning of Advent and Christmas.
Today is also the Feast of the Immaculate conceptions of the Blessed Virgin Mary
The Blessed Virgin Mary, conceived without sin and full of grace, is at the centre of today’s Feast of the Immaculate Conception. In his 2019 reflection on the feast day, Pope Francis highlighted all Mary’s beauty: a masterpiece even in her humility, capable of making room for God without complacency and ready to put herself at the service of others. May she be a model of our communities and of our life.
Pope Francis said that God thought of Mary and wanted her “from the beginning”. But, he said, in order to be “full of grace”, to be filled with God’s love, it is necessary to listen to God’s Word and trust totally in His will, as Mary did.
Mary, the Pope said, “does not lose herself in logical arguments, she does not place obstacles in the Lord’s way, but she promptly entrusts herself and leaves room for the action of the Holy Spirit”. Corresponding perfectly to God’s plan for her, “Mary becomes ‘all beautiful’, ‘all holy’, but without the slightest shadow of self-satisfaction”. That is, she remains “humble, small, poor”.
Pope Francis then emphasised “the word with which Mary defines herself in her surrender to God”. “Mary’s ‘yes’ to God”, the Pope said, assumes from the beginning the attitude of service, of attention to the needs of others”, as seen in Mary’s visit to Elizabeth. “Openness to God is found in the openness to take on the needs of one’s neighbor”. Moreover, he emphasized, this is done without “noise or ostentation… because charity and works of mercy do not need to be exhibited as a trophy”.
Pope Francis concluded his reflection with the prayer that the feast of the Immaculate Conception might “help us to make our whole life a ‘yes’ to God, a ‘yes’ made of adoration of Him and of daily gestures of love and service”.
Advent Prayers
Our Prayer Intentions for the Day to Pray Together as a Family
Teach us to discover the worth of each thing,
to be filled with awe and contemplation,
to recognise that we are profoundly united
with every creature as we journey towards your infinite light.
(Excerpt from A Prayer for Our Earth from Laudato Si)
Advent Prayers for Schools
- Class Prayer
God our Father,
Help us to feel all the happiness your Son brings,
and to celebrate his coming with Joy Amen. - Staff Prayer
Loving God, as we gather here today we ask you to be with us.
Journey with us this Advent time and guide us so that we may strive
not so much to teach as to awaken, not so much to instruct as to
inspire. Give us courage and wisdom as we work here in (name of school),
so that this community is one of vision and joy. Amen - Prayer to Saint Joseph
Saint Joseph, you who loved Mary with freedom,
and chose to renounce your fantasies to give way to reality,
help each of us to allow ourselves to be surprised by God
and to accept life not as something unforeseen from which to defend ourselves,
but as a mystery that hides the secret of true joy.
Obtain joy and radicality for all engaged Christians,
while always being aware
that only mercy and forgiveness make love possible. Amen.
Thank you.
Kids’ Corner!
This year we are introducing our ‘Kids’ Corner!’ Each day of Advent you will find fun activities for children to enjoy and learn more about the Season of Advent! Print out this Christmas card and colour it in however you like to give it to someone special!