There is no better way to begin your day than with prayer. It sets the tone for everything else and helps you prepare for what lies ahead. Advent is a time we pay special attention to preparing and hoping and re-ordering our lives, getting ourselves ready for the Christ child to come anew. If you find yourself needing more than the usual dose of hope this year, OSV's My Daily Visitor with Fr. Patrick Briscoe, OP, in partnership with Aleteia, may be just the remedy.
Each day, Fr. Briscoe offers a brief reflection based on the daily Mass readings, a prayer, and a suggestion for how to live Advent well. Aleteia asked Fr. Briscoe to tell us a little more about this Advent devotional.
Why did you select hope as the theme for this year's Advent reflections?
We are always tempted to put our hope in anything but Christ. Coming out of the COVID-19 pandemic, facing an uncertain midterm election cycle, threatened by economic instability and more, I thought that many Christians would need reminding that Christ is our hope. The Italian theologian and philosopher Msgr. Luigi Giussani says that “Hope is none other than the expanding of the certainty of faith regarding the future.” We have to nourish hope, to allow it to stretch from the present moment of our lives, into a future we do not yet know.
What can someone expect from this series?
Each day offers three simple parts. First, there's a reflection on Scripture. Most days the reflection follows a selection from that day's Mass readings, but it's not confined to the liturgy. The meditations stand on their own, but can be enriched by reading the connected Scripture passage. After the meditation, I've written a prayer to help the reader pray though the theme of the meditation. Finally, each day includes a call to action or challenge. These practical tips are aimed at helping Christians live Advent creatively.
There are numerous Advent devotionals out there. What makes this one unique?
My Daily Visitor is SUPER accessible. Often devotionals fail to connect with daily life or they're too involved to actually complete each day. My Daily Visitor takes only a few minutes to pray each day, and offers real ways to grow in the spiritual life through doable actions and creative explanations of Christian teaching.
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Fr. Briscoe also points out that My Daily Visitor is the perfect thing to share, reminding us of Pope Francis' words that, “Hope is never still ... hope is always journeying, and it makes us journey.” So if you want to invite someone you know to go a little deeper in their faith this Advent, consider sharing this devotional. "Christians never go alone, we walk together," says Fr. Briscoe.
