Prayers and Devotions are very important to a Holy Advent Season. Neither have to be extremely long or tedious just something that you do each day to help you grow in Faith. This particular post is going to focus more on an adult version of Advent. Don't get me wrong, I fully participate in all the kids activities I discussed in How to Prepare for a Holy Advent Series: Part 1 because I love arts and crafts, and all the fun you are allowed to have as a child, but you also need the prayers, readings, devotions and the other deeply intriguing parts to even you out as an adult. Most of the topics here can also be modified to be more easily understood for children too. So take what you like, modify it or share it with your friends and family. I would love to see how this information was used to help bring a meaningful Advent to you and those you love. Let's get started!
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Prayers:
Prayers are so important to incorporate into your Advent Activities. Most of these prayers are copyrighted so I will link to the sites that offer the prayers on their sites. Some of the websites even include an option to print the prayers for your own person use. I would encourage you to create a notebook with prayers like these to have on hand and easily accessible when they are needed.
Saint Andrew Christmas Novena:
**To be said 15 times a day from November 30th to Christmas Eve**
Hail and blessed be the hour and moment in which 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 desires through the merits of Our Savior Jesus Christ, and of His blessed Mother. Amen.
Blessing of Candy Canes on Feast of Saint Nicholas
Blessing of the Family Christmas Tree
Blessing the Christmas Ornaments
Blessing of the Family Christmas Tree
Blessing the Christmas Ornaments
Free Download and Resource from Loyola Press
O Antiphon Prayers:
The O Antiphons are a special and ancient part of our liturgy. I am dedicating the third part of my Advent Series because there is so much wonderful information to share and activities that can be done to make these days the most memorable, especially as these days lead up to Christmas Eve. These night celebrate the special names given to Our Lord by prophets.
December 17
O Wisdom of our God Most High,
guiding creation with power and love:
come to teach us the path of knowledge!
December 18
O Leader of the House of Israel,
giver of the Law to Moses on Sinai:
come to rescue us with your mighty power!
December 19
O Root of Jesse’s stem,
sign of God’s love for all his people:
come to save us without delay!
December 20
O Key of David,
opening the gates of God’s eternal Kingdom:
come and free the prisoners of darkness!
December 21
O Radiant Dawn,
splendor of eternal light, sun of justice:
come and shine on those who dwell in darkness and in the
shadow of death.
December 22
O King of all nations and keystone of the Church:
come and save man, whom you formed from the dust!
December 23
O Emmanuel, our King and Giver of Law:
come to save us, Lord our God!
I suggest that you sign up for Novena reminders through Pray More Novenas. They will send reminders to you directly via email so you never forget when a Novena and other prayers start. I use the resource and love it.
Devotions:
Devotion is a fancy word for love. Love is the key to everything in our Catholic faith. Find some devotions, or loves, that bring you closer to Christ. This can be anything to 5 minutes of time for you to doodle in your prayer journal, to reading devotional books or anything that allows you to fully dedicate yourself to time with you and Christ. I am going to list a few devotionals I think are worth looking into and you can choose what works best for you!
Photo Challenge by The Zelie Group:
This is a Photo-a-day Challenge I am helping to host with The Zelie Group. Take a picture and share it with us each day throughout Advent and share what makes it special or meaningful to you. I am excited to be a part of this devotion and I can't wait to see what beautiful pictures are shared.
There is another Photo Challenge by I Love my Shepherd as well. Check out their post and follow their link to the PDF they created for Advent 2016.
I am super excited to be using this devotional throughout this upcoming Advent. I received it in my Little Catholic Box subscription and it's sitting on our home altar just waiting for me to open it up November 27th.
This is a FREE email subscription devotional and I just registered to complete this devotional along with several others with my family. Sign up so you have an extra option for Advent.
Devotionals are some of my favorite things to do during periods of greater prayer. They are very insightful and can help focus your intentions and grow your faith. If none of the devotionals above caught your eye, you could always do a scriptural devotion in your prayer journal too. I like to do both because doodling and writing are some of my favorite activities but I also enjoy reading. With so many different options, you can find something that will work for you!
Looking for a fun way to celebrate Advent and bring back the spark you had as a child? Checkout these very Grown-Up Advent Calendars. I think one of these would be a perfect Advent present for someone you want to include in the festivities that may not always join in the fun normally.
Music:
Advent music is COMPLETELY different from Christmas Music. The sounds of Advent are suppose to increase our anticipation of the joyous Christmas season. Here is a short (10 song) list that you should take a listen to during Advent to help set the mood in your household. Most people aren't aware that there are different types of Music for this season and I'll be honest, I listen to Christmas Carols and Christmas music during Advent sometimes too. It's just one of those things that is hard to not do during Advent. Well here is a short Advent play list for you. There are several different versions of each song so take a look and choose your favorites! Any song that Celine Dion has sung is my favorite (Ave Maria makes me tear up every time I listen to it). Tell me what songs do you listen to in this time of waiting? Or are you like me and struggle with holding back on the Christmas Music too?
In the third part of this Advent Series, I will be taking a closer look into the O Antiphons. I will discuss what they are, fun ways to celebrate, traditions and some crafts. I'll include some great family movies and books that you should checkout this Advent too. The final portion of this Advent series will include an Advent Bucket List that can correspond with specific days throughout Advent or you can just use it as a list to help you fully enjoy the season. I will also include a Christmas Shopping Guide. Is there anything you would like to see added before this series is complete? I am already working on some Christmas posts as well.
God Bless!
It's hard for me not to break into the Christmas music starting now. Thanks for the playlist. I'm bookmarking!
ReplyDeleteMe too! I love Christmas Music, especially Celine Dion's Holiday CD!
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