Day One - Introduction
Welcome to Our Online Advent Retreat
Advent calls us to prepare our hearts and minds for the great gift of the Incarnation -- God becoming human in the person of Jesus Christ.
He went throughout the
whole region of the Jordan, proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the
forgiveness of sins, as it is written in the book of the words of the prophet
Isaiah: “A voice of one crying out in the desert: ‘Prepare the way of the Lord,
make straight his paths. Every valley shall be filled and every mountain and
hill shall be made low. The winding roads shall be made straight, and the rough
ways made smooth, and all flesh shall see the salvation of God.’” (Luke 3.3-6)
While we prepare to celebrate the
birth of the babe in the manger, the season of Advent also calls us to
"make straight the paths" in our lives so that we may repent and
repair the damage done through our own failure.
May these reflections be our guide as we prepare spiritually this Advent
season.
The questions are written for
private reflection and prayer, but they may also be of help in small
faith-sharing groups and in celebrating the Sacrament of Reconciliation.
Advent Prayer
God of all ages, we rejoice and give thanks
that in your divinity you came among us as a human being,
taking upon yourself all the human elements that we share with you:
the salt of our tears, the sweetness of our joys, the deepest hopes of our dreams, the human longings that give meaning to our lives.
Inhabit our hearts, God of love, as you embodied and entered this world through the womb of your mother, Mary.
Be here among us with all of your wisdom, all of your compassion, and all of your joy.
In the name of Jesus who is Christ, the Son of God, who lives among us still
and who will come again. Amen.
This
year's Busy Catholic's Online Advent Retreat is adapted from Joyfully We Wait--An Advent Examination of
Conscience. Copyright by Twenty
Third Publications. Used with Permission
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