The Second Week of Advent

Prayer and Evangelization

The Day of Christ Jesus

What is the main goal of our prayer during Advent? Is it to become better people? To make ourselves feel better? To ask God to help others? To ask him to make the world a better place? To get ready for Christmas? Something else?

These are not bad reasons to pray, but they shouldn't be our primary focus in this season. Let's look at the second reading for the Second Sunday of Advent to get an idea of what St. Paul was praying for, how we can pray during Advent, and what it all has to do with evangelization:
"Brothers and sisters: I pray always with joy in my every prayer for all of you, because of your partnership for the gospel from the first day until now. I am confident of this, that the one who began a good work in you will continue to complete it until the day of Christ Jesus. God is my witness, how I long for all of you with the affection of Christ Jesus. And this is my prayer: that your love may increase ever more and more in knowledge and every kind of perception, to discern what is of value, so that you may be pure and blameless for the day of Christ, filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ for the glory and praise of God." — Philippians 1:4-6, 8-11
St. Paul has one thing in mind as he prays for the Philippians: "the day of Christ Jesus." He wants more than anything for them to be ready when the Lord returns to judge the living and the dead. It matters greatly to St. Paul that "the one who began a good work in [them] will continue to complete it" and that their love, knowledge, wisdom, purity, and righteousness will increase for their own good and for the greater glory of God. Holiness if of some benefit in this life, but it's chief benefit is getting us ready for eternal life.

This Advent, let's take up St. Paul's way of praying with the day of Christ Jesus in mind. Ask God to make you ready to meet him at his return. Ask the Lord to prepare others for his Second Coming as well. In keeping with the Walk With One initiative, spend extra time in prayer for whoever you are accompanying. And do so with joy! We can have confidence that Jesus will complete the good work he has begun in us.

How to Pray During Advent

There are many ways to pray during this season, so there's something for everyone. Here are a few options:
  • Pray the Rosary, especially the Joyful Mysteries, more often than you already do.
  • Pray the Angelus in the morning, at noon, and at night (or pick just one time).
  • Attend daily Mass one more time per week than you usually do.
  • Use an app to pray one of the hours of the Liturgy of the Hours daily.
  • Spend some quiet time with God in a private place at home or at church before the Blessed Sacrament.
  • Read the daily Mass readings and meditate on them.
  • Spend a little time each day meditating on the Sunday readings.
Grant, O Lord, that we may begin with holy fasting this campaign of Christian service, so that, as we take up battle against spiritual evils, we may be armed with weapons of self-restraint.

This collect prayer begins the Mass for Ash Wednesday, the first day of Lent. Jesus is calling us to "take up battle against spiritual evils." We'll explore fasting itself in a few weeks; during the week of Ash Wednesday, we're going to dig into an important set of weapons the Lord gives us to fight evil: sacramentals.

What's a sacramental? Well, if you attend Mass on Ash Wednesday, you're probably going to receive one on your forehead.

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