Preparing for Advent and Christmas – Some helpful reflections, sermons, and prayers

Reflections and Meditations

• O Antiphons of Advent and Praising the Names of Jesus, by Jeanne Kun
• Weekly Advent Prayers and Advent wreath

• “Maranatha!” – “Come, Lord Jesus!” by Don Schwager

• The Day of the Lord Draws Near: Reflections on Upbuilding Love
• To watch with Christ, by John Henry Newman
• A threefold coming of the Lord, by Bernard of Clairvaux
• The Two Comings of Christ: An Orthodox perspective by Thomas Hopko

• Christians Have Lost Touch with Heaven! by Christoph Schonborn
• The Eternal Spring-time Will Surely Come, by John Henry Newman
• The Real Meaning of Christmas, by Steve Clark

• Reply to the Skeptics Concerning the Lord’s Return, Commentary on 2 Peter 3:1-7, by Dr. Daniel Keating
• Living in the Last Days: A Commentary on 1 Peter 4:7-11, by Dr. Daniel Keating
• The Promise of the Lord’s Return, A Commentary on 2 Peter 3:8-16, by Dr. Daniel Keating
• Seeking God More Earnestly: Advent Themes in the Letter of James, by Dr. Mark Whitters

• We Will Be Judged by Our Fidelity to Christ, by Romano Guardini
• Jesus the Coming Judge, by Tom Wright
• What If This Present Were the World’s Last Night, by C.S. Lewis
• Christians Have Lost Touch with Heaven, by Christoph Schonborn

• The Wonderful Exchange, by Athanasius and Gregory Nazianzen
• Waiting in Hope for Christ’s Return, by Cyril of Jerusalem, Ephrem of Edessa, and Irenaeus of Lyons 
• God Showers Us with Gifts, and God Will be Seen, by Irenaeus of Lyons (130-200) 

• The Spirit Prepares Us to Receive the Son of God, by Irenaeus of Lyons (130-200) 
• The Wonder of Christ, by Origen
• The Great Little King, by Gregory of Nyssa
• The Redeemer – What God Wanted, by Steve Clark

• The People of Advent, Meditations for Advent written in prison by Alfred Delp
• True Happiness: Prison Meditations, by Alfred Delp
• Prisoners of Hope: Reflections for Advent, by Dave Quintana

• Scripture Reflections on the House of David, by Jeanne Kun
• David, Prototype of Jesus the Anointed Messiah, by Damasus Winzen, OSB
• Jesus: A Portrait of Kingship, by Jeanne Kun

• The Eternal Springtime Will Come, by John Henry Newman
• The Son of Man, by Fulton J. Sheen (1895-1979) 
• The Only Person Ever Pre-Announced: Born to Die to Give Us Life, by Fulton J. Sheen

• Let us not resist the first coming, and the second will not terrify us, by Augustine of Hippo (354-430 AD)
• The Two Comings of Christ, by Thomas Hopko
• When Heaven Explodes With Color: We await our blessed hope, by John Yocum

• The Finality of Christ and Religious Pluralism, by Donald Bloesch 
• The Advent Banquet: A Selection of Daily Reflections, by Dave Quintana
• Aliens and Exiles? What can 1st century Christianity teach us about 21st century living? by Bruce Yocum

• Homeward Bound: But Where Are We Headed? by James Munk 
• Reading the Stars: Signs of Hope from the Creator of the cosmos, by David Mills
• Reform Your Lives: the message of John the Baptist, Forerunner of the Redeemer, by Jeanne Kun

• Prepare the Way of the Lord: a meditative poem on Isaiah 40:3-4, by Jean Kun 
• Pilgrims, Travelers, and Citizens of Heaven, by Jeanne Kun
• The Hope of Heaven, by Jeanne Kun
• Awaiting the Messiah by Jeanne Kun, Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA
• You Shall Call his Nama Jesus, by Jeanne Kun 

• The voice is John, the word is Christ, by Augustine 
• The Two-fold Coming of Jesus Christ, by Cyril of Jerusalem 
• The Reason the Word of God became Man,by Irenaeus 
• A Voice Crying in the Wilderness, by Eusebius of Caesarea 
• God’s Promises Are Held Out to Us by His Son, by Augustine

Christmas and Epiphany Reflections and Meditations

• The Revealing of the Hidden Mystery, by Hippolytus (170-236 AD)
• Feast of Epiphany and Theophany
• God Showers Us with Gifts, by Irenaeus 200 A.D.

• The Wonder of Christ, by Origen (185-254 AD)
• If Christ had not been born of woman, by Proclus of Constantinople (446)
• When Christ comes, God will be seen by men and women, by Irenaeus 200 A.D.
• The Word made flesh deifies us, by Hippolytus (170-236 AD)

• Life itself appeared in human form, by Augustine of Hippo (354-430 AD)
• Our desires will be completely fulfilled in the vision of the Word, by Augustine of Hippo (354-430 AD)
• The Wonderful Exchange, by Athanasius (298-373 AD) and Gregory Nazianzen (330-389 AD)

• Truth sprang from the earth and justice looked down from heaven, by Augustine of Hippo (354-430 AD)
• O Christian, be aware of  your nobility, by Leo the Great (died 461 AD)
• The Wisdom of God was made flesh, by Peter Chrysologus (400-450 AD)
• The Magnificat, a commentary of Bede on St. Luke’s Gospel (672-735 AD)

• The fulness of the Godhead came in the fulness of time, by Bernard of Clairvaux (1090-1153)
• The Word of God will Come Within Us, by Bernard of Clairvaux (1090-1153)
• “The Word was made flesh,” by Lancelot Andrewes (1555-1626)
• “There came wise men from the East,” by Lancelot Andrewes (1620)
• The God in the Cave, by G. K. Chesterton (1874-1936)

• The Real Meaning of Christmas: what it means for us, by Steve Clark
• The gifts of the Spirit in Isaiah 11:1-5, by Steve Clark
• And He Lived Among Us, Therese Hilario Andres

• “You shall call his name Jesus,” by Jeanne Kun
• Jesus: a portrait of humility, by Jeanne Kun
• God in Bethlehem’s Cave: a meditation by Don Schwager 
• The Gift of the Magi: a short story about unselfish love, by O. Henry

Poems for Christmas and Epiphany

• Born This Eve, poem by Lynne May
• Hope Revived (Isaiah 11), poem by Jeanne Kun
• Advent Overture (Annunciation), poem by Jeanne Kun
• The Word Made Flesh, poem by Jeanne Kun
• Anna’s Heir, poem by Jeanne Kun
• Journey by Starlight (Epiphany), poem by Jeanne Kun

---

Top photo credit: Burning candles and gold plated cross image, from Bigstock.com, (c) by  berkay, and Stock Photo ID: 15622394