Advent Prayer My God, I Am Waiting for the Christmas Season
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Dear Friends, Every year I try to give you something to help you and your family grow together and with Christ during this liturgical season, and this year is not different in that regard. As I am writing this it is all based in prayer so I am guided by the Holy Spirit as I write all of this, in the hope that he will guide my hands to type what you need to hear this year. What you should know is today is October 8th and I have been writing this all week. Why does this matter? Well it is 2020 and COVID is happening so while I am trying to be very positive that we will still be meeting in person and that the world will be better by Advent, I know that may not be a reality. No matter what the end of 2020 brings us I hope it can help you and your family draw closer to Christ. I have been getting input on this companion each year, things people like and things people don’t like; I love receiving that so I can make it better for you, the parishioners, so please feel free to reach out and let me know what you think. This year there is a Sunday session for your family, that will take a little bit of time. There is an opening prayer, reading, reflection written by me, and discussion questions. For the readings this year we will be using the second reading each week. In past years I have done the gospels and wanted to change it up. The second readings come the from Apostles and can always be read as a letter to us to- day just as much as they were letters to the people 2000 years ago. Mondays there is a weekly challenge for your family. In past years I would do this on Friday and someone said it was hard to try and do it in the weekend. Having the weekly challenge on Monday gives families the whole week to complete the challenge. Tuesdays and Thursdays I talk about saints sometimes it is the saint whose feast it is or a upcoming feast day, sometimes it is a saint who embodies the theme of the week. Wednesdays there is just a prayer to say with your family either in the evening or morning. You can really do it whenever but I would encourage you to say it as a family. Fridays I talk about music. There is a saying that when we sing we pray twice, and the Holy Spirit put it on my heart to add it to the companion this year, so you will get to see into my heart a little and how music helps me draw closer to Christ. Finally, Saturdays I hope you and your family will sit down to talk about the Roses and Thorns (Highs & Lows) of your week. There are some questions to help you with this or you can do it on your own. I hope this companion helps your family, and that you enjoy it as much as I enjoy making it. Peace in Chirst Taylor Linn Director of Youth Ministry First Reading Isaiah 63:16-17, 19; 64:2-7 Second Reading 1 Corinthians 1:3-9 Gospel Mark 13:33-37 Opening Prayer Jesus, we thank you for the gift of this Advent season. We await with the expectant hope your coming at Christmas, and we are grateful for this time to prepare our hearts for the gifts you want to give us. Help us trust in your goodness and fidelity. Give us the grace of awareness, so we may see your hand in all things and have confidence in you. Thank you for this time together. Amen. Read 1 Corinthians 1:3-9 Reflection Paul’s first letter to the church of Corinth provides us with a fuller insight into the life of an early Christian community, of the first generation, than any other book of the New Testament. Through it we can glimpse both the strengths and the weaknesses of the small group in a great city of the ancient world. This is such a fitting reading to kick off the Advent season. “Grace to you and peace from God our Father and Lord Jesus Christ.” I know I don’t start a letter like that and that is what this book of the Bible is (a letter). Paul is not just saying this to the Corinth people of that time though; he is saying it to us. “Grace to you and peace from God our Father and Lord Jesus Christ.” It goes on to talk about how grateful Paul is for the people of Corinth. These people opened their hearts to God the Father and through them he has bestowed great things. Even though this book was written thousands of years ago Paul is showing us today in 2020 that if we open our hearts to Jesus Christ he will work through us. “He will keep you firm to the end, irreproachable on the day of our Lord Jesus Christ.” During this season open your heart to Jesus, let him work through you, get out of the way so that through you Jesus can shine to all those you encounter. Discussion -What knowledge or gifts do you feel you have been given? How can you use those to show Jesus to the World? -During Advent, we prepare our hearts to receive the gift of God’s grace. In what ways can you dive deeper into Advent? How can our family challenge you and hold you accountable? November 30, 2020 Weekly Challenge So many of my favorite memories of the Advent Season are with my family doing things together whether it is decorating the tree, baking candy, or game nights (we are way too competitive - some- one always gets hurt…). This Advent I am going to give you a “weekly challenge” to do together as a family for no other reason than I want you all to spend time together. This weekly Challenge is more of an Advent Challenge I want you all to try to have family dinner to- gether. Sit at the dinner table. say the meal prayer, and spend a little bit of time together. For those of you who have high school students this will be hard but try to do it as much as possible. My family always did this growing up and some of our favorite stories to this day are the things that happened around the dinner table. December 1, 2020 Saints Yesterday was the feast of St. Andrew. Some of you may remember a few months back Msgr. told the following story about St. Andrew in his homily: A pastor met one of his faithful members on the street who had missed Mass the week before due to a passing illness. “What did you preach about last Sunday, Father?” he asked. “I took my homily from Chapter One of John and spoke about the Apostle Andrew, “ the priest replied. “Why I hardly remember him among the Apostles,” the man replied, “He didn’t write any of the books of the bible, did he?” The priest smiled. “No, he didn’t. I suppose many people would consider Andrew great, like John or Paul or Peter, but the one significant thing about Andrew is that whenever he is mentioned in the Bi- ble, he is always introducing someone to Jesus. He is the one who introduced Peter to our Lord; he is the one who introduced the young lad to Jesus, and Jesus used the little fellow’s lunch to feed 5000 people. And on another occasion, he brought a group of people, Greeks, who were not even Jewish, to Jesus to have them learn about Our Lord. And I think that makes him great.” The parishioner walked away thoughtful, for he had received a new glimpse of the importance of that rather up-praised apostle. And he thought to himself, “Gee, I will never preach a sermon, or much less write a book of the Bible… but one thing I could do more of, is to try to introduce more people to Jesus and to the Church.” December 2, 2020 Litany of Trust Response: Deliver me, Jesus From the belief that I have to earn your love … From the fear that I am unlovable … Response: Jesus, I trust in you. That you are continually holding me sustaining me, From the false security that I have what it takes … loving me … From the fear that trusting you will leave me more destitute … That your love goes deeper than my sins and failings, From all suspicion of your words and promises … and transforms me … From the rebellion against childlike dependency on you … That not knowing what tomorrow brings is an invitation From refusals and reluctances in accepting your will … to lean on you … That you are with me in my suffering … From anxiety about the future … That my suffering, united to your own, will bear fruit in From resentment or excessive preoccupation with the past … this life and the next … From restless self-seeking in the present moment … That you will not leave me orphaned, that you are present in From disbelief in your love and presence … your Church … From the fear of being asked to give more than I have … That your plan is better than anything else … That you always hear me, and in your goodness always From the belief that my life has no meaning or worth … respond to me … From the fear of what love demands … That you give me the grace to accept forgiveness and to From discouragement … forgive others … December 3, 2020 Saint: St.