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.
Read the rest
November 30
Feast of St. Andrew, Apostle
“As the Lord was walking by the Sea of Galilee, he saw Peter and Andrew casting their nets into the sea. And he said to them, ‘Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.’ Immediately they left their nets and followed him.”
-Matthew 4:18, 19-20
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November 29
“I guess that is what dying must be like; to be finished and to be able to look back at the struggles of life, and know that God was your constant companion.”
- Mother Angelica
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November 28
“Stir up our hearts, O Lord, to prepare the ways of Thy only-begotten Son: That by His coming we may be able to serve Him with purified minds.”
- Roman Missal, Collect for Second Sunday
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November 27
“The duty of the moment is what you should be doing at any given time, in whatever place God has put you. Your doing the duty of the moment, your living the nitty gritty, daily routine of ordinary life, can uncover the face of Christ in the marketplace...where you work or play or eat...or wherever.”
- Catherine Dougherty
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November 26
“Our Lord who saved the world through the Cross will only work for the good of souls through the Cross.”
- St. Madeleine Sophie Barat
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November 23
Feast of St. Columban, Abbot (D. 615)
“If man applies the virtues planted in his soul to the right purpose, he will be like God. The image we depict must not be that of one who is unlike God; for one who is harsh and irascible and proud would display the image of a despot. Let us not imprint on ourselves the image of a despot, but let Christ paint his image in us.”
-St. Columban
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November 22
Feast of St. Cecilia, Virgin and Martyr
“Rejoice in the Lord, O you righteous!
Praise befits the upright.
Praise the Lord with the lyre,
Make melody to him with the harp of ten strings!
Sing to him a new song,
Play skillfully on the strings, with loud shouts.
-Psalm 33: 1-3
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November 22
Feast of the Presentation of Mary
“Mary is the heart of the Church. This is why all works of charity spring from her. It is well known that the heart has two movements: systole and diastole. Thus Mary is always performing these two movements: absorbing grace from her Most Holy Son, and pouring it forth on sinners.”
- St. Anthony Mary Claret
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November 20
“I have given everything to my Master: He will take care of me. The best thing for us is not what we consider best, but what the Lord wants for us.”
- St. Josephine Bakhita
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