December 5
Day 4: Daily Gracelines: ADVENTure with Mary
Theme: Advent is a time of hope, filled with waiting and preparing for the coming of the Savior. Mary, the Mother of God, hopes in Him, placing all of herself at His disposal, awaiting His perfect arrival.
Grace: I pray for the grace of hope during this holy Advent season, anticipating with joy His will and surrendering to His timing.
Reflection: “Jesus Christ, after having given us all He could give, that is to say, the merit of his toils, His sufferings, and His bitter death; after having given us His Adorable Body and Blood to be the Food of our souls, willed also to give us the most precious thing He had left, which was His holy Mother.” - St. John Vianney
Challenge: What amazing love Jesus had for His Mother, and what incredible love He had for us that He would GIVE us His Mother! How can we imitate Christ's love for Mary today? What does this teach us about hope?
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A young mother of three, who is battling leukemia while pregnant with twins, was in desperate need of a bone-marrow donor but unable to find a perfect match. After launching an impassioned plea for help, thousands of people responded and a perfect match was finally found – just in time for Christmas.
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December 4
Day 3: Daily Gracelines: ADVENTure with Mary
Theme: Advent is a time of hope, filled with waiting and preparing for the coming of the Savior. Mary, the Mother of God, hopes in Him, placing all of herself at His disposal, awaiting His perfect arrival.
Grace: I pray for the grace of hope during this holy Advent season, anticipating with joy His will and surrendering to His timing.
Reflection: "In the interim just as the Mother of Jesus, glorified in body and soul in heaven, is the image and beginning of the Church as it is to be perfected is the world to come, so too does she shine forth on earth, until the day of the Lord shall come, as a sign of sure hope and solace to the people of God during its sojourn on earth."
Challenge: How is God calling you to shine forth during this Advent season? What hope and solace can you provide to His people as they journey over the next few weeks?
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Traditions surrounding Saint Nicholas, Bishop of Myra and “the real Santa Claus,” whose feast day is December 6, recall his legendary love for God, children, and the poor. Here are some ways to honor the memory of this ancient gift-giver, offsetting the commercialization of Christmas and re-centering the season’s true spirit on Jesus.
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“I am sure that God keeps no one waiting unless He sees that it is good for him.” – C.S. Lewis
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December 3
Day 2: Daily Gracelines: ADVENTure with Mary
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After seven years of fighting in the courts,
EWTN Global Catholic Network has prevailed in its lawsuit against the infamous “birth control mandate.”
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by Kathleen Beckman
In the season of Advent each of us may ask ourselves: what do I expect?
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Welcome to the Daily Gracelines ADVENTure with Mary
Welcome to our "ADVENTure with Mary" program, a free Women of Grace® resource.
Advent is a time of waiting, watching, and preparing for the coming of the Christ Child, whose life and death bring us eternal salvation.
The Catechism of the Catholic Church reminds us that in the liturgical season of Advent, the Church "makes present [the] ancient expectancy of the Messiah," so that "by sharing in the long preparation for the Savior's first coming, the faithful [can] renew their ardent desire for his second coming" (#524).
My prayer for you is that this ADVENTure with Mary will aid you in your faith-filled effort to make this Advent a holy time of preparation as you ponder anew the Mystery of the Incarnation and the Woman whose "fiat" made it so.
Together, may we take this mystical journey with Mary from the moment of the Annunciation to the birth of her Child. I pray she delivers us safely into His holy and loving heart.
To truly maximize your experience over the next few weeks, the following steps will help:
Prepare yourself for your time of prayer.
Review the theme.
Ask Him for the grace to fully encounter both Him and His Mother.
Read the quote carefully, allowing the words to sit with you.
Pray the reflection provided.
Ask Him how you can virtuously live out the challenge.
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