Advent is here

 It is time to prepare. Advent is here! Advent begins Saturday, December 2 at the vigil Mass. Here are a few ideas to help  engage your children and grandchildren in this beautiful season of preparation.

The Advent Wreath can be bought or one can be made. Light it once a week on Sunday evening or every evening at dinner time. Bless the wreath first with Holy Water, then light one purple candle on the First Sunday of Advent. Say a short prayer. The link for the Advent prayers is included here. On the Second Sunday of Advent light two purple candles and say the prayers. On the Third Sunday of Advent light the two purple candles and the one rose candle and pray. On the Fourth Sunday of Advent light all the candles and say the prayers. Christmas is almost here and all the lights are blazing! On Christmas Day, you can change the candles to red or green and add a white candle in the center to represent the Christ Child. https://www.loyolapress.com/our-catholic-faith/liturgical-year/advent/prayers/prayer-for-lighting-the-advent-wreath-candles

The Advent Calendar is a wonderful way to keep children engaged, young and not so young, as they await the birth of Jesus. There are a variety of calendars to choose among, from the simple to the classical. They begin on December 1st and end on December 25th with the birth of Jesus. Each day the child opens one of the windows on the calendar. Some calendars have pictures, others have Scriptural verses inside the windows. Don't worry if you haven't bought one yet. I have never met a child who minded "catching up"opening extra windows!

Books are a favorite in our household. There are wonderful books on the saints of Advent: St. Nicholas, the Immaculate Conception, St. Juan Diego, Our Lady of Guadalupe, St. Lucy and more. Not to mention the stories of wonderful Advent customs from around the Catholic world, and fictional stories that entertain and offer a lesson.

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The Jesse Tree can be bought or made. Like the Advent Calendar it begins on December 1, and it ends on December 24. It offers the family who follows its daily Scriptural reading, a journey recalling Old Testament salvation history and the promise by God to send a Savior to restore mankind after the fall of Adam and Eve. It is a true preparation for the fulfillment of God's promise in the celebration of the birth of Christ on Christmas Day. Here is a link to the symbols of the Jesse Tree with a free download to color. http://www.holyheroes.com/Jesse-Tree-s/82.htm?Click=35875&gclid=EAIaIQobChMI4Njt7J7q1wIVXVcNCh0zHgKWEAEYAiAAEgKL1_D_BwE
For the Scriptural verses and a history of the Jesse Tree go to, https://www.catholicculture.org/culture/liturgicalyear/activities/view.cfm?id=545

Wishing you and your family a blessed Advent.