Use this calendar as a daily reflection during the Advent Season.
Dec 2 - Dec 3 - Dec 4 - Dec 5 - Dec 6 - Dec 7 - Dec 8
Dec 9 - Dec 10 - Dec 11 - Dec 12 - Dec 13 - Dec 14 - Dec 15
Dec 16 - Dec 17 - Dec 18 - Dec 19 - Dec 20 - Dec 21 - Dec 22
Dec 23 - Dec 24 - Dec 25Click here to download a printable version (PDF)
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From 2007: A Book of Grace-Filled Days ©2006 by Lavonne Neff
For information about 2008: A Book of Grace-Filled Days by Lavonne Neff
Sunday, December 2
First Sunday of Advent{O}ur salvation is nearer now than when we first believed.
—Romans 13:11How many times have you come to Mass, noticed the
candles and the wreaths, and thought, Could it be Advent
already? Year by year, as we repeat the familiar rituals and
read the same texts, we move steadily closer to Christ’s
second Advent.Isaiah 2:1–5
Psalm 122
Romans 13:11–14
Matthew 24:37–44Monday, December 3
St. Francis Xavier, priestI say to you, many will come from the east and the west, and
will recline with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob at
the banquet in the kingdom of heaven.
—Matthew 8:11St. Francis Xavier was especially interested in the East. In
his forty-six years, he preached the gospel in India, the
Malay Peninsula, and Japan. He hoped to preach in China
also, but he died of a fever shortly after arriving there. He
wrote to his good friend St. Ignatius Loyola: “Many, many
people hereabouts are not becoming Christians for one
reason only: there is nobody to make them Christians.”Isaiah 4:2–6
Psalm 122
Matthew 8:5–11Tuesday, December 4
St. John of Damascus, priest and doctor of the church{A} shoot shall sprout from the stump of Jesse,
and from his roots a bud shall blossom.
—Isaiah 11:1Jesse was the father of King David and an ancestor of
Jesus. St. Paul reminds us how deeply our faith is rooted in
Judaism: “{I}f . . . you {Christians}, a wild olive shoot, . . .
have come to share in the rich root of the olive tree, do
not boast against the branches. If you do boast, consider
that you do not support the root; the root supports you”Romans 11:17–18)
Isaiah 11:1–10
Psalm 72
Luke 10:21–24Then he took the seven loaves and the fish, gave thanks,
broke the loaves, and gave them to the disciples,
who in turn gave them to the crowds.
—Matthew 15:36Let one of those loaves represent your life. What is
happening right now? Is Jesus taking you in his hands? Is
he giving thanks for you? Is he breaking you? Is he giving
you to the hungry world?Isaiah 25:6–10a
Psalm 23
Matthew 15:29–37Thursday, December 6
St. Nicholas, bishopEveryone who listens to these words of mine and acts on them
will be like a wise man who built his house on
rock. . . .
And everyone who listens to these words of
mine but does not act on them will be like a fool
who built his house on sand.
—Matthew 7:24, 26It’s easy to listen and nod our heads. It’s not all that hard to
talk the talk. But the only thing that matters in the end is if
we also walk the walk.Isaiah 26:1–6
Psalm 118
Matthew 7:21, 24–27Friday, December 7
St. Ambrose, bishop and doctor of the churchFor the tyrant will be no more
and the arrogant will have gone;
All who are alert to do evil will be cut off.
—Isaiah 29:20Come quickly, Lord Jesus, and make the earth safe from
warmongers and terrorists!Isaiah 29:17–24
Psalm 27
Matthew 9:27–31Saturday, December 8
The Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin MaryIn him we were also chosen, destined in accord with the
purpose of the One who accomplishes all things
according to the intention of his will, so that
we might exist for the praise of his glory.
—Ephesians 1:11–12God chose Mary to bear his Son. God chooses us also to
do his will.Genesis 3:9–15, 20
Psalm 98
Ephesians 1:3–6, 11–12
Luke 1:26–38Sunday, December 9
Second Sunday of AdventMay the God of endurance and encouragement grant you to
think in harmony with one another, in keeping
with Christ Jesus, that with one accord you
may with one voice glorify the God and Father of
our Lord Jesus Christ.
—Romans 15:5–6How can we achieve such unity? By enduring people when
they make us crazy, and by encouraging people when they
need a boost.Isaiah 11:1–10
Psalm 72
Romans 15:4–9
Matthew 3:1–12Strengthen the hands that are feeble,
make firm the knees that are weak,
Say to those whose hearts are frightened:
Be strong, fear not!
Here is your God . . .
he comes to save you.
—Isaiah 35:3–4Don’t listen to prophets of doom. Our God is coming not
to hurt us, but to save us from danger and destruction.Isaiah 35:1–10
Psalm 85
Luke 5:17–26Tuesday, December 11
St. Damasus I, popeLike a shepherd he feeds his flock;
in his arms he gathers the lambs,
Carrying them in his bosom,
and leading the ewes with care.
—Isaiah 40:11A lot of people who love and trust Jesus aren’t so sure
about his Father. Isn’t God the dangerous one—the one
who smites? Isaiah’s beautiful image shows God’s gentle,
nurturing care for the most vulnerable. God the shepherd
is dangerous only to predators.Isaiah 40:1–11
Psalm 96
Matthew 18:12–14Wednesday, December 12
Our Lady of GuadalupeMany nations shall join themselves to the
LORD on that day, and they shall be his people,
and he will dwell among you, and you shall
know that the LORD of hosts has sent me to you.
—Zechariah 2:15In 1531, the Blessed Virgin appeared to a humble farmer
in Mexico. Nearly five hundred years later, at Juan Diego’s
canonization, Pope John Paul II said: “In accepting the
Christian message without forgoing his indigenous identity,
Juan Diego discovered the profound truth of the new
humanity, in which all are called to be children of God.”Zechariah 2:14–17 or Revelation 11:19a; 12:1–6a, 10ab
Psalm 45
Luke 1:26–38 or 1:39–47Thursday, December 13
St. Lucy, virgin and martyrThe afflicted and the needy seek water in vain,
their tongues are parched with thirst.
I, the LORD, will answer them;
I, the God of Israel, will not forsake them.
—Isaiah 41:17How does the Lord give water—and food, shelter,
clothing, education, health care—to “the afflicted and
the needy”? If the needy aren’t getting the help they
desperately need, who is responsible?Isaiah 41:13–20
Psalm 145
Matthew 11:11–15Friday, December 14
St. John of the Cross, priest and doctor of the churchI, the LORD, your God,
teach you what is for your good,
and lead you on the way you should go.
—Isaiah 48:17This does not mean that all our days will be happy.
St. John of the Cross describes a “dark night” of interior
suffering that is a necessary part of our journey to God:
“This dark night is an inflowing of God into the soul,
which purges it from its ignorances and imperfections. . . .
Herein God secretly teaches the soul and instructs it in
perfection of love.”Isaiah 48:17–19
Psalm 1
Matthew 11:16–19“Elijah has already come, and they did not recognize him
but did to him whatever they pleased. So also
will the Son of Man suffer at their hands.”
Then the disciples understood that he was
speaking to them of John the Baptist.
—Matthew 17:12–13If I had lived in Judea two thousand years ago, would I
have recognized “Elijah” in John the Baptist, the fiery
preacher of repentance? Would I have recognized “the Son
of Man” in Jesus, the homeless healer?Sirach 48:1–4, 9–11
Psalm 80
Matthew 17:9a, 10–13Sunday, December 16
Third Sunday of AdventDo not complain, brothers, about one another, that you may not
be judged. Behold, the Judge is standing before
the gates.
—James 5:9Some people are so much more accomplished, better
looking, or nicer than I am. Other people can’t seem to
do anything right. But if I complain about either kind of
person, it’s so I’ll feel better about myself. It doesn’t work,
though. My self-esteem goes up only when I realize that
God created each of us with a purpose, and it’s not my
place to judge how well anyone else is doing.Isaiah 35:1–6a, 10
Psalm 146
James 5:7–10
Matthew 11:2–11The book of the genealogy of Jesus Christ . . .
—Matthew 1:1Five women are listed in Jesus’ genealogy. Tamar was
almost executed for supposed prostitution. Rahab was
indeed a prostitute. Ruth came from a nation that was
one of Israel’s traditional enemies. Bathsheba, “the wife of
Uriah,” was seduced by King David. Mary got pregnant
out of wedlock. Every one of these women was socially
unacceptable. Every one was an ancestor of our Lord.Genesis 49:2, 8–10
Psalm 72
Matthew 1:1–17{T}he days will come, says the
LORD, when they shall no longer say, “As the
LORD lives, who brought the Israelites out of the
land of Egypt”; but rather, “As the LORD lives,
who brought the descendants of the house of
Israel up from the land of the north.”
—Jeremiah 23:7–8It is important to remember and celebrate the ways God
has helped us and our ancestors in days gone by. It is
equally important to realize that God continues to help
us now, and that someday we will remember and celebrate
what God did for us in 2007.Jeremiah 23:5–8
Psalm 72
Matthew 1:18–25And the angel said to him in reply, “I am Gabriel, who stand
before God. I was sent to speak to you and to
announce to you this good news. But now
you will be speechless and unable to talk until the
day these things take place, because you did not
believe my words, which will be fulfilled at their
proper time.”
—Luke 1:19–2 0It was probably a good thing old Zechariah couldn’t talk
until his late-life baby was born. Who’d have believed him?
Besides, silence allows a person to listen, and think, and
maybe eventually understand—not a bad response when
you get a personal message from an angel.Judges 13:2–7, 24–25a
Psalm 71
Luke 1:5–25Mary said to the angel, “How
can this be, since I have no relations with a
man?” And the angel said to her in reply,
“. . . {N}othing will be impossible for God.”
—Luke 1:34–35, 37If we believe that God created the world and cares for each
of us personally, is it all that difficult to believe in miracles?Isaiah 7:10–14
Psalm 24
Luke 1:26–38Friday, December 21
St. Peter Canisius, priest and doctor of the churchMy lover speaks; he says to me,
“Arise, my beloved, my beautiful one,
and come!
“For see, the winter is past,
the rains are over and gone.”
—Song of Songs 2:10–11Tomorrow is the shortest day of the year, and we’re already
looking ahead to spring! Advent is like that. In the midst of
darkness, despair, and death, we look forward to our Lord’s
glorious return.Song of Songs 2:8–14 or Zephaniah 3:14–18a
Psalm 33
Luke 1:39–45The Mighty One has done great things for
me,
and holy is his name.
His mercy is from age to age
to those who fear him.
—Luke 1:49–50“From age to age you gather a people to yourself.” These
words from the third Eucharistic Prayer describe what God
has been doing in our world ever since creation. He calls
us to him so that he can do great things for us, so that he
can show us mercy.1 Samuel 1:24–28
1 Samuel 2:1, 4–8
Luke 1:46–56Sunday, December 23
Fourth Sunday of AdventPaul, a slave of Christ Jesus, called
to be an apostle and set apart for the gospel of
God, . . . the gospel
about his Son, descended from David according
to the flesh, but established as Son of God in
power according to the spirit of holiness through
resurrection from the dead, Jesus Christ our
Lord.
—Romans 1:1,3–4A human being who was born in Bethlehem, grew up and
worked in Galilee, preached and died in Judea. The Son
of God, who came back to life and lives today in heaven
and on earth. In the words of an old English carol—“What
child is this?”Isaiah 7:10–14
Psalm 24
Romans 1:1–7
Matthew 1:18–24Go, tell my servant David,“. . .
Your house and your kingdom shall
endure forever before me; your throne shall
stand firm forever.”
—2 Samuel 7:5,16Tonight Christians around the world celebrate the birth of
David’s greatest Son.
“And he shall reign forever and ever,
King of kings, and Lord of lords!
Hallelujah!”2 Samuel 7:1–5, 8b–12, 14a, 16
Psalm 89
Luke 1:67–79Tuesday, December 25
The Nativity of the Lord & Christmas{T}he time came for her to have her child,
and she gave birth to her firstborn son. She
wrapped him in swaddling clothes and laid him
in a manger, because there was no room for them
in the inn.
—Luke 2:6–7“Infant holy, infant lowly, for his bed a cattle stall;
Oxen lowing, little knowing Christ the babe is Lord of all.
Swift are winging angels singing, noels ringing, tidings
bringing: Christ the babe is Lord of all.
“Flocks were sleeping, shepherds keeping vigil till the
morning new;
Saw the glory, heard the story, tidings of a gospel true.
Thus rejoicing, free from sorrow, praises voicing, greet the
morrow:
Christ the babe was born for you.”
(Traditional Polish carol)Vigil:
Isaiah 62:1–5
Psalm 89
Acts 13:16–17, 22–25
Matthew 1:1–25 or 1:18–25
Midnight:
Isaiah 9:1–6
Psalm 96
Titus 2:11–14
Luke 2:1–14
Dawn:
Isaiah 62:11–12
Psalm 97
Titus 3:4–7
Luke 2:15–20
Day:
Isaiah 52:7–10
Psalm 98
Hebrews 1:1–6
John 1:1–18 or 1:1–5, 9–14
