Advent: a Time to Prepare, But For What?
Topic: Advent

We all know that Advent is a time of preparation.  But what are we preparing for...CHRISTMAS, of course!!!!  We have to put up the tree, the decorations, make our gift lists, buy the presents, etc.  We have all our Christmas parties to go to.  Some of us also have to prepare for final exams, and/or Christmas concerts for band or choir.  Oh yeah, we also need to prepare our hearts for the birth of baby Jesus.

Sometimes it seems like this for me.  I get so wrapped up in all the preparation for the secular part of Christmas, the religious part seems to be pushed to the bottom of the list of things to do.  I know that it shouldn't be this way, but it always seems end up this way.

I guess the question is, how do we change this, how can we prepare for the Christ coming during Advent?  Here are just a few things that I am trying to do.

1. Go to the Sacrament of Reconciliation.  What better way to prepare than to wash ourselves clean of sin.

2.  Spend some more time with God.  Maybe we increase our prayer time each day, or go to visit Christ at the Adoration chapel.  Maybe it is saying one rosary a day. (See my previous post)

3.  Do one random act of kindness each day.  It doesn't have anything big; maybe it is holding a door for a stranger.  Maybe it is giving money to the poor instead of going out to eat.  Maybe it is visiting people in the nursing home.

 These are just a few things that I am going to try to do.  I am sure you can come up with lots of others.  Let me know what they are, and I will post them on this blog.

Anyway, among the hustle and bustle of this time of year let's just remember that there is only one thing that truly matters, Jesus Christ's coming.  Let's prepare for that.

But hey, that's just my two cents, take it for what it's worth.  ;-)

 

Back to the Basics
Topic: Prayer Life

It seems that some times I can really get stuck in rut when it comes to my prayer life.  It seems like I am praying about the same things all the time.  I don't feel like I am truly putting a good effort in to my prayers.  This is when prayer seems like a chore.  When this happens, it is harder to set time aside for prayer, and wonder if it is doing any good.

But recently I have been doing something very simple and it has helped my prayer life immensely.  I decided to go "back to the basics."  I have been praying the rosary and reading the Bible.  What is more basic than these forms of prayer?  When you really think about it, these are two "tried and true" ways to pray that can be done at almost anytime and anywhere.

Most of us learned to pray the rosary when we were younger either at Catholic school, PSR, or at home.  Praying the rosary is something we can do very easily, even if you don't have a rosary.  I found it more interesting to read the Bible passages for each Mystery.  I first started off by wanting to pray just one decade of the rosary.  But as I prayed, I found myself wanting to pray more.  After just a couple of days, I found myself praying an entire rosary.  By praying the rosary, I have felt closeness to God and Mary I had been lacking previously.

Besides praying the rosary, I also started reading passages from the Bible.  What better way to pray than to read and contemplate God's divine Word given to us in the Bible.  Sometimes I just read a random passage from the Bible, and contemplate on what God is trying to say to me through that passage.  Sometimes I use a book with reflections on certain Bible passages, and that can give me a different perspective on that passage.  This has caused me to take a closer look at how I am living my life, and how God wants me to live my life.

By praying the rosary and reading the Bible, my prayer life has been rejuvenated.  I feel like I want to pray and spend more time with God.  If you feel like you need to do something different in your prayer life, I would recommend trying one or both of these types of prayer.  Buy hey, that's just my 2 cents, take it for what it's worth.