8-Dec-2018 - First Saturday of Advent

I am grateful to the various sites from where I picked up ideas for the write-ups, images and videos that happened to touch my heart while preparing myself and my children on this Advent journey in faith .. I have tried giving credits where I could.. I have tailored the materials accordingly to suit my needs. My sincere apologies if I have not given due credit in all places. - Sabrina D'Mello

The Countdown to Christmas ...

(Credits : https://www.timeanddate.com/clocks/freecountdown.html)

Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception

This feast refers to the conception of the Virgin Mary, free from original sin, by virtue of the merits of her son Jesus.  Through the centuries, the Church has become ever more aware that Mary, "full of grace" through God, was redeemed from the moment of her conception.  Exactly nine months from now, on September 8, we will celebrate Mary's birthday.

Let’s watch the Scriptures Luke 1:18

(Credits: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KhJEwx9blHk&t=57s)

Reflection

When God finally granted Zechariah his heartfelt desire of having a child, he just could not believe, it was happening and happening when they were well advanced in years. It is not that he does not want to be happy and rejoicing that his wish was granted, but it was too good to believe.  So he sat on the floor asking "Thank you but can you give me a sign to prove it?"  Long ago he had given up the dream of ever being a Daddy. 

God’s great promises often greet us when we are beaten down, discouraged and depressed.

The baby is still in Bethlehem’s manger for you.  Will you pass it by just because you’ve been discouraged by the events in your life?

Christmas is really all about God stepping into our world of disappointment, heartache and failure. He came to share our life of pain and sorrow; He came to give us His life of joy, peace and bliss.

  Christmas Symbol : Mary

(Credits: http://m.gifmania.us/Animated-Gifs-Religion/Free-Animations-Christianity/Images-Virgin-Mary/Virgin-Mary-88806.gif)

Mary did not know exactly what the future would hold on the day she found out she was pregnant, but she knew that whatever it meant, since it came from God, it would be good for her. She was so excited that she began right away singing praises to God for his holiness and for the family she would soon have. She knew this would be the beginning of a new season in her life.

Just as Mary used song to bring in the new season in her life, we are glad that we too have begun this season in prayer and singing of carols daily. 

Prayer

Lord, thank You for the gift of Mary, because her "yes" gave us your Son, Jesus. Help me to imitate her obedience and positive attitude in all I do so that I too may show Your goodness to others. Amen.

Let’s sing along with this carol - 

Mary Did You Know

(Credits: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kcc94dHZ_Ts)

Quiz Time 

Christmas began in the heart of God.  
It is complete only when it reaches the heart of man.

7-Dec-2018 - First Friday of Advent

I am grateful to the various sites from where I picked up ideas for the write-ups, images and videos that happened to touch my heart while preparing myself and my children on this Advent journey in faith .. I have tried giving credits where I could.. I have tailored the materials accordingly to suit my needs. My sincere apologies if I have not given due credit in all places. - Sabrina D'Mello

The Countdown to Christmas ...

(Credits : https://www.timeanddate.com/clocks/freecountdown.html)

Let’s watch the Scriptures Luke 1:14-17

(Credits: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KhJEwx9blHk&t=57s)

Reflection

The Angel continues telling Zechariah that his child, will not only bring great joy to them as parents, but will be the source of great joy to many people as well.

He will be great because God will set him apart and fill him with the Holy Spirit, even from his mother's womb.  The Spirit will equip him to accomplish his great God given mission.

John will come to make us realize our selfishness and hard-heartedness and show us why we need a Savior.  He will show us the way to our salvation through repentance and forgiveness.  Zechariah must have felt it was worth waiting for all those years to have such a child.

Christmas Symbol :

Candy Cane

(Credits: http://www.cdsears.com/xtra/chuck/special/tbd01/christmas.html)

Look at the Candy Cane, and what do you see?

The white is for our Savior, who is sinless and pure.

The red stands for the blood he shed on the Cross.

"J" is for Jesus, my Lord, that's for sure.

And when you turn it around, you will find a Shepherd's staff - Our good Shepherd Jesus.

Although the exact origin of the candy cane is unsure, it presents us as believers with a simple opportunity to share a little bit of the Gospel story with those we meet during the Christmas season.

Today, share a candy cane.  Who knows ... the opportunity may just open for you to be able to share your faith in Christ and you will have the perfect gospel track to share with them.

Prayer

Lord, thank you for sending your Son as the Good Shepherd to save us, your lost sheep.  May I use every opportunity to share the good news with those around me.  Amen.

Let’s sing along with this carol - 

The First Noel

(Credits: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5UTN9dMidZ4)

Quiz Time 

Sweet but twisted … Does that make me a candy cane ??

6-Dec-2018 - First Thursday of Advent

I am grateful to the various sites from where I picked up ideas for the write-ups, images and videos that happened to touch my heart while preparing myself and my children on this Advent journey in faith .. I have tried giving credits where I could.. I have tailored the materials accordingly to suit my needs. My sincere apologies if I have not given due credit in all places. - Sabrina D'Mello

The Countdown to Christmas ...

(Credits : https://www.timeanddate.com/clocks/freecountdown.html)

Let's watch the Scriptures Luke 1:13

(Credits: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KhJEwx9blHk&t=57s)

REFLECTION

The Angel called him by his name and bid him not to be afraid.  You can imagine that besides being terrified, he was thrilled to be called out by name by an angel.  We all would be too.

Your prayer is heard.  He must be wondering what prayer is the Angel referring to.  Soon after he got married to Elizabeth, they had fervently prayed for so many decades for a child, but then he eventually gave up - but not God.

On the very first day when Zechariah prayed, God had marked that prayer in His memory.  He remembered each and every word of their prayer, the urgency and the plea of that couple to God.  Now when the incense began to rise as a symbol of God's acceptance of His people's prayers, the Angel came to bring the news to Zechariah that God had answered his prayer which he had long forgotten. And the boy was given the name John before he was even conceived.

Have you gone through this dilemma too, of praying and praying heartfelt prayers to God for so many years without any answers.  Prayers for employment, good health, finances, family conflicts and yet no answer.  Do you feel that God just does not care?  Here is your answer.  The first moment we offer a prayer to God in faith, He in his wisdom will choose the most effectual way and the apt time to answer that prayer.  Sometimes like Zechariah we have to wait for many long years for its fulfillment.  So keep the faith and God will answer you at the right time.

  CHRISTMAS SYMBOL : SANTACLAUS

(Credits: http://www.animatedimages.org/img-animated-santa-claus-image-0147-85611.htm)

Saint Nicholas or St. Nick as he was sometimes called, was a Bishop who lived around 325 AD and was known for his generosity to the poor and mostly anonymously.

What started with one man's generosity many years ago has now become a rage and has grown beyond imagination, as people from all over the world share gifts with one another during Christmas time under the code name of Santa Claus,

Today think of one person you can be Santa Claus to, and show kindness to them before the day is out in a way that leaves your identity anonymous.


PRAYER

Lord, instil in me the spirit of generosity like Saint Nicholas.  Help me to do good in secret, without any desire for recognition and repayment.  May I trust in You for any reward. Amen.

Lets sing along with this carol - 
Jolly Old St. Nicholas


(Credits: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5gmSsS1rquI)

QUIZ TIME 

Why is Christmas just like a day at the office?  

You do all the work and the fat guy with the suit gets all the credit.

5-Dec-2018 - First Wednesday of Advent

I am grateful to the various sites from where I picked up ideas for the write-ups, images and videos that happened to touch my heart while preparing myself and my children on this Advent journey in faith .. I have tried giving credits where I could.. I have tailored the materials accordingly to suit my needs. My sincere apologies if I have not given due credit in all places. - Sabrina D'Mello

The Countdown to Christmas ...

(Credits : https://www.timeanddate.com/clocks/freecountdown.html)

Lets watch the Scriptures Luke 1:11-12

(Credits: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KhJEwx9blHk&t=57s)

REFLECTION

Zechariah is now laying the incense on the altar in the temple.  When all of a sudden, through the clouds of smoke, he sees an Angel of the Lord appearing.  He is terrified and shaken.  It is impossible not to notice the providential arrangement of Zechariah meeting Holiness face to face.

When we are nearest to God, the good angels are close to us.  They rejoice to be with us when we do good, but they are sad when we sin. The presence of angels around us is not new, yet their apparitions are.

No matter how religious minded you are or how much of charitable works you are doing, when you encounter Holiness, all your shortcomings and failures fill you with fear.

Thank God that when God sent his only Son on earth, he did not come as a powerful King or a mighty warrier, instead He sent him as a little baby lying in the manger.  He seemed like one of us.  That is one of the truly wonderful things about Christmas.

  CHRISTMAS SYMBOL : STAR

Although the Star of Bethlehem appears just once in the Bible, in the Gospel of Mathew, but yet it has become one of the most important and enduring symbols of the season.

The wise men followed "the star".  What was this "Star of Bethlehem"?  Some think it was a comet, others a supernova, but each of these descriptions fall short of the nativity story as presented in Mathew.  Thus the star had to be a miracle !! Otherwise how could such a star have led the wise men to the exact spot where Jesus lay.

Tonight, go star gazing, and imagine the amazing sight such a star would be, to behold in the sky.

PRAYER

Lord, only you could have created such an amazing star, among all the other stars that are visible in our galaxy.  Thank you so much for lighting the way to your Son both for the wise men and for us.  We would be lost without you.  Amen.

Let's sing along with this carol - 
When a Child is Born


(Credits: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9mnIHMOmZ8U)


QUIZ TIME 

There's nothing sadder in this world than to awake Christmas morning and not be a child.

4-Dec-2018 - First Tuesday of Advent

I am grateful to the various sites from where I picked up ideas for the write-ups, images and videos that happened to touch my heart while preparing myself and my children on this Advent journey in faith .. I have tried giving credits where I could.. I have tailored the materials accordingly to suit my needs. My sincere apologies if I have not given due credit in all places. - Sabrina D'Mello

The Countdown to Christmas ...

(Credits : https://www.timeanddate.com/clocks/freecountdown.html)

Let's watch the Scriptures Luke 1:8-10

(Credits: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KhJEwx9blHk&t=57s)

REFLECTION

Mary recalled how priests, from a particular lineage only, could serve in the temple.  And since there were so many priests belonging to this clan, it was customary each afternoon for the priest to cast lots to see who would burn incense at the altar of the Lord.  It was prestigious and an honor to be allotted this task.

Mary remembers this particular incidence when the lot had fallen on Zechariah.  Two priests along with him entered the temple.  One set burning coals on the altar and the other arranged incense on it.  Then the two priests leave and Zechariah was left all alone in the holy place.  It was as though God was beckoning him into His presence.  He was carried away by the sweet fragrance rising up to Heaven and he knew it was a sign that God was pleased with the offerings and prayers of His people.  Outside, hundreds of people, bowed and spread their hands out in silent prayer.

God invites us all the time into his house - the Church.  We do not have to wait for our turn which is decided on lots as in Zechariah's time.  What a great privilege and honor we have to sit in God's presence and listen to His word. Make an effort to go to Church more often. 

  CHRISTMAS SYMBOL : SHEPHERDS & SHEEP

(Credits: http://annacatharina.a.n.pic.centerblog.net/a983606d.gif)

Shepherds were known to be the poorest in the society and notorious too.  They were hired by the affluent to tend, feed and guard the sheep as they grazed in the pasture land.  Yet, God chose these people to be the first to see and hear about Jesus's birth.  So that everyone would know that they can come to Him, the Great Shepherd, whether rich or poor.

And they in turn, were so excited, that they told everyone what they saw and heard.  Our very first evangelists.

Today share your favourite Christmas memories just as the shepherds shared their memories of seeing Baby Jesus in a manger.

PRAYER

Lord, there are so many wonderful things that you have bestowed on all of us in our lives.  Please give me the opportunities and strength to share what you have done in my life, so that others may see Jesus through me.  Amen.

Let's sing along with this carol - 

Mary's Boy Child


(Credits: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8amHW-xdbzE)

QUIZ TIME 

Christmas isn’t a season it is a feeling.

3-Dec-2018 - First Monday of Advent

I am grateful to the various sites from where I picked up ideas for the write-ups, images and videos that happened to touch my heart while preparing myself and my children on this Advent journey in faith .. I have tried giving credits where I could.. I have tailored the materials accordingly to suit my needs. My sincere apologies if I have not given due credit in all places. - Sabrina D'Mello

The Countdown to Christmas ...

(Credits : https://www.timeanddate.com/clocks/freecountdown.html)

Let's watch the Scriptures Luke 1:5-7

(Credits: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KhJEwx9blHk&t=57s)

REFLECTION

Mary recollects that first Christmas when Herod was King of Judea. She starts by introducing her cousin Elizabeth who was married to Zachariah the priest.

According to Mary, Zechariah and Elizabeth were good and upright people following all the commandments of God dutifully.  They both lived to a good old age but ... were childless.  Mary pauses when she says this, as during those days, being without a child was considered disgraceful.

For many years, the couple had prayed and wondered why God had kept them from having a child.  But their disappointed hope had not made them sour, nor turned their hearts from God.

Elizabeth being barren and now stricken with age, made the conception even more extraordinary and miraculous.  But with God nothing is impossible.

Have you prayed long and hard for something in particular and realized that your prayers have still not been heard?  Does that make you question God or yourself?  Then hang on to these daily reflections and you will find that God has a good reason when He decides to withhold something from you.

  CHRISTMAS SYMBOL : ANGEL

(Credits: https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiz0xE3A2IwcgjdkOAA3D08n74dzdX5esCfern315jieMWTMfUwUpXe9ks-zfKiP0WYEHXM7LVN_JAVeGlOyvxZCu4uMdC8Nuuo2ZwkvSEEJsJgQwk-nssjxxhyphenhyphenNfBC1391x8RxCKM0VD-H/s1600/GodsAngel.gif)

No one actually knows what angels look like but they have been mentioned several times in the Bible as the messengers of God.  They serve as an intermediary between "Man" and "God".  During the time of the first Christmas, we find that the angel appeared to Zachariah, to Mary, to Joseph and even to the shepherds.

Today join the heavenly host in singing praises.  Go caroling outside or sing some of your favourite Christmas carols while you go about doing your chores. Listen to them as you travel.  Let your praises ring! 

PRAYER
Dear Jesus, I may not be a professional singer but help me to make a "joyful noise unto the Lord" during this holy season of Advent.  Help me to glorify you and sing your praises in the best way I can.  Amen.

Let's sing along with this carol - 
Angels we have heard on high


(Credits: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1JqzsJoDjSQ)

QUIZ TIME 

Blessed is the season which engages the whole world in a conspiracy of love.

2-Dec-2018 - First Sunday of Advent

I am grateful to the various sites from where I picked up ideas for the write-ups, images and videos that happened to touch my heart while preparing myself and my children on this Advent journey in faith .. I have tried giving credits where I could.. I have tailored the materials accordingly to suit my needs. My sincere apologies if I have not given due credit in all places. - Sabrina D'Mello

The Countdown to Christmas ...

(Credits : https://www.timeanddate.com/clocks/freecountdown.html)

Happy New Liturgical Year.  
The new Liturgical Year commences on the first Sunday of Advent. Let us as Christians  renew our commitment to the faith and promise ourselves to be better persons especially in terms of our religious belief in Christ and in His Holy Church. Let us on our part not waiver the faith teachings received from our parents and continue to teach the younger one so that our faith goes down generation to generation. 

Candle Name : Prophet’s Candle

Candle Symbolizes : Hope

Reminds Us : Jesus is coming

Let's watch the Scriptures Luke 1:1-4

(Credits: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KhJEwx9blHk&t=57s)

REFLECTION
Ever wanted to know whether your faith is based on your hopes and dreams or on solid historical reality? Then Luke is not just writing an orderly, researched, eyewitness account for Theophilus, but for you too. Luke was not a disciple of Jesus.  Infact he had never met Jesus face to face. He was a Gentile physician from Antioch in Syria.

Luke gave to the world "faith" founded on "facts". He loved Christ and Christianity and tried to get all his information by interviewing people who saw and heard Jesus, who lived, ate and drank with Him. By doing so he hopes to strengthen Theophilus's faith.  We realize that Theophilus is not alone in his need to be reassured.  In each generation there are many like him. 

When it came to researching about the birth of Jesus he chose Mary His Mother knowing that this source would give him the best information.

Lets pull up a seat as Luke interviews Mary in his Gospel and shares her memory of that first Christmas. 

CHRISTMAS SYMBOL : ADVENT WREATH

(Credits: https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdkiDHf_6cXHMRIR1zxIKT3G6D9Ea0g42UU6fH6V0B1y4zcVFHg4B71QsMX_SS2YtUxe76wgHflfxPq7tAIIoCOePyObnv6PQzumVOBV9kWRgCdxlB7dWYFGBT4FrDtzlt8GIuuPdkV7JM/s1600/corona-avvento45.gif)

The Advent Wreath is made up of four candles spaced equidistantly around a wreath, having the symbolic colors of purple and pink - the colors of the priest's vestments during Advent.

The three purple candles which are lit on the 1st, 2nd and 4th Sundays of Advent signify penance, prayer and preparation while the pink candle which is lit on the 3rd Sunday (Gaudete Sunday) signifies rejoicing.

Each candle represents 1000 years and together make 4000 years i.e. from Adam to the birth of Christ.

Recently the faithful have adopted the custom of adding a white candle in the center of the wreath to be lit on Christmas Day. The white candle symbolizes the birth of Christ - the Light of the World.

Do you have an Advent wreath? Why not start this tradition today.

PRAYER

Dear Jesus, we await your coming amongst us.  Our waiting helps us to grow patience in us.  Instil in us the virtue of patience this Advent and always. Amen.


QUIZ TIME

Lets sing along with this carol - 
Hallelujah Christmas version

(Credits: https://youtu.be/D8w65m4NcqE)

Every time we love, every time we give, it's Christmas.

Introduction

The Countdown to Christmas has begun ...

(Credits : https://www.timeanddate.com/clocks/freecountdown.html)

Christmas time is one of the busiest times of the whole year! With gifts to get, Christmas parties to attend and travelling to see our families and friends……our hearts can sometimes become focused on everything but Jesus…..the “reason for the season.”

In our efforts to keep our hearts focused on Jesus, I have prepared daily notes for my children (compiled from various sources from the internet) in order to get them on a biblical road to welcome Baby Jesus in their hearts.  I thought of sharing it with all those who wish to join us to meditate on the Scripture and walk this prayerful Advent pilgrimage.  Invite all your Christian friends on your contact list by sharing this link, and lets prepare for Christmas in a whole new way... Just imagine the smile on Baby JESUS when he finds us all united in prayer during this hectic season. 

Each day (from 2-Dec to 6-Jan) you will receive a link having 

- a video biblical passage and reflection, 

- a Christmas symbol and a prayer, 

- a Quiz to challenge you in your faith (with immediate answers when you click on View Accuracy) and 

- a Christmas Carol.  

Total time required per day will be hardly 15 minutes..

So welcome to this edition of Advent 2018! I hope that your family is as excited as mine to begin our journey of expectation, hope and joy at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ!

Wishing you a Holy and Prayerful Advent Season.

Compiled by Sabrina Demelo