Come Into The Word with Sarah Christmyer | Bible Study | Lectio Divina | Journals | Retreat

  • About
  • Blog
    • Scripture Reflection
    • Prayer & Lectio Divina
    • Bible Reading & Study
    • Holidays and Holy Days
    • Discipleship
    • Women of the Bible
  • Resources
    • New Release
    • Books & Journals
    • Bible Studies
    • How-tos & Reading Plans
  • Speaking
    • Speaking Topics
    • Schedule
    • Testimonials
    • Reviews & Interviews
    • Past Events
  • Contact

2ND SUNDAY OF ADVENT: PREPARE THE WAY

December 8, 2013 By Sarah Christmyer Leave a Comment

If the word for Advent last week was Awake, then this week it’s Prepare.  John cries out in the desert: Repent; make straight in the desert a highway for the Lord!

I never understood this until I went to Israel.  Before that, I always thought the desert was a flat and sandy, barren place, stretching out forever, no relief in sight.  It’s not hard to make a highway through that kind of desert.  But in Israel!  The picture above is of the desert in Israel.  The only thing I had right was the barren part.  It’s rocky, full of hills and crevices, places to get lost and fall into.  If a king wanted to make a triumphant entrance into a town and had to come through the desert – which is the visual we should have here, thinking of preparing a way for the coming Lord – you’d have to bring in the big trucks first.

By the end of the year, when Advent rolls around, my heart is like that desert. Sometimes barren, but mainly full of stones and valleys, hills and places to hide out in.  No wonder I can’t see him coming in the distance.  John is calling us to clear out the debris, level the turf, fill in the potholes.  It’s time to take advantage of the Sacrament of Reconciliation and then make room in the calendar for preparing our hearts.  What will you do, to keep your mind off the world’s holiday bustle and on the coming Lord?

A few ideas:

• Cultivate a daily time of stillness, of inner peace and quiet.  Create a space inside for Christ to come to.  Use the time for spiritual reading, meditation and prayer.

• Load your ipod or CD player with Bach’s Advent Cantatas or the Messiah.

• Pray the Angelus daily and reflect upon the Incarnation.

• Set up the Advent wreath if it’s not up already.  Light two candles all this week while you pray together with your family.

• Around 480 AD, Gregory of Tours wrote that Christians fasted Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays during Advent.  Maybe pick one day a week to pray and fast.

Come, Lord Jesus!

Filed Under: Holidays and Holy Days Tagged With: Advent/Christmas

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

 characters available

Sarah Christmyer writes and speaks about Scripture and the Catholic faith with the goal of helping people meet Jesus in his Word. “The Bible isn’t just a book about God or instructions for a good life; it’s a place to meet God and be changed by him,” she says. Her love of Scripture fuels her writing of Bible studies and related books; her teaching of Philadelphia seminarians; her speaking at conferences and retreats; and writing for blogs such as this one. “Come Into the Word” draws people into the Bible and encourages and equips them to explore it on their own.

Subscribe Here

Sign up to receive new posts and news via email. (Add sarah@comeintotheword.com to your address book to make sure mail arrives in your inbox!)

Search Come Into The Word

Categories

Recent Posts

  • PSALMS FOR LENT: Find GRACE in the Penitential Psalms
  • ADD SCRIPTURE TO YOUR LENTEN DIET
  • TRUST IN GOD; HE’S GOT YOUR BACK
  • FINDING JOY AT CHRISTMAS
  • FOCUSING ON THE CHRIST CHILD with the O Antiphons
  • THANKSGIVING PSALMS: Drowning grief in gratitude

Archives

Recommended

  • Integrated Catholic Life – Catholic blogs and resources
  • Lux App and Lux University – online faith hub for women
  • Peter Kreeft – featured writings and audio
  • The Sacred Page (Michael Barber, John Bergsma, Brant Pitre, John Kincaid) – blog
  • Scripture Speaks (Gayle Somers) – commentary on the Mass readings
  • Speaking of Scripture (Mary Healy, Daniel Keating, Peter Williamson, et al) – blog
  • Women in the New Evangelization (WINE) – women’s ministry, book club, blog

 

We engage in affiliate marketing whereby we receive funds through clicks to our affiliate program through this website. This disclosure is intended to comply with the US Federal Trade Commission Rules on marketing and advertising, as well as any other legal requirements which may apply.

 

Let’s Connect

mailfacebook instagram pinterest

Subscribe Here

Sign up to receive new posts and news via email. (Add sarah@comeintotheword.com to your address book to make sure mail arrives in your inbox!)

MENU

  • About
  • Blog
  • Resources
  • Speaking
  • Contact
  • Home

Copyright © 2023 Come into the Word LLC | Site designed by Cynthia Oswald

  • About
  • Blog
    △
    • Scripture Reflection
    • Prayer & Lectio Divina
    • Bible Reading & Study
    • Holidays and Holy Days
    • Discipleship
    • Women of the Bible
  • Resources
    △
    • New Release
    • Books & Journals
    • Bible Studies
    • How-tos & Reading Plans
  • Speaking
    △
    • Speaking Topics
    • Schedule
    • Testimonials
    • Reviews & Interviews
    • Past Events
  • Contact