Embracing the grace of Advent

September 21, 2021 in Featured News, News

Messenger Publications invite readers to purchase a few books specifically geared for the Season of Advent which begins on Sunday 28 November 2021 up until Friday 24 December 2021. Carolanne Henry, Communications Director of Messenger Publications, says: “The fundamental theme running through Advent is one of waiting – with our head, our heart and with our actions we wait each year for the arrival of Jesus, Son of God. In our culture of short attention spans and instant gratification, waiting is a skill we sometimes find difficult.” She points to the following books which can enable readers to embrace the grace of Advent.

The Messenger Advent Booklet 2021: Reflections on the Weekday Readings » by Fr Donal Neary SJ shows readers that learning to relax into waiting can bring enrichment to the Advent experience, and help find the meaning of Christmas in both the popular and the religious. The book provides reflections on both Old and New Testament for the weekday readings of Advent, so readers may realise that everything about God is worth waiting for.

Fr Donal Neary SJ is the editor of The Sacred Heart Messenger magazine and author of many books. He formerly worked as chaplain in the Mater Dei Institute of Education and as parish priest of St Francis Xavier Church, Gardiner St, Dublin.

Published in Ireland and the UK, The Messenger Advent Booklet 2021: Reflections on the Weekday Readings is priced at €4.95/£4.50.

Hearers of the Word: Praying and Exploring the Readings for Advent & Christmas Year C » by Biblical scholar Kieran J O’Mahony OSA is the seventh volume in the popular series and the first for Year C. It explores the context and background, along with commentaries, on the Sunday readings for the liturgical period from Advent to the Second Sunday of Year C. The prayers and prayer guidance that the author provides allow for a multi-dimensional understanding of the Gospel in terms of their historical and theological significance.

Commenting on previous volumes in the series, Church Review noted:

“…concise and helpful, useful both to the preacher preparing his thoughts and to the reader who wishes to contemplate the scriptures.”

The Tablet noted:

“…all you need to know to enrich your experience of reading and hearing the Scriptures … a book that you can select from, finding what speaks to you.”

The book may also be helpful to those involved in Lectio Divina, either individually or in a group. Combining spirituality and contemporary Biblical scholarship, it is unique among Gospel commentaries on the market today.

Hearers of the Word: Praying and Exploring the Readings for Advent & Christmas Year C is published in Ireland and the UK and is priced at €19.95/£18.95.

A joyful time of preparation for the birth of Jesus, Advent can be further enriched with Sacred Space Advent & Christmas 2021-2022 », a compact, portable, printed format of the internationally-known online prayer guide, Sacred Space.

Each day throughout the Advent season includes a Scripture reading and points of reflection, as well as a weekly topic enhanced by six steps of prayer and reflection – a rewarding way to embrace Advent as a sacred space and to build a richer relationship with God leading up to Christmas.

Finally, an Advent retreat provides an opportunity to stop and reflect on the year that has been and the year to come.

Sacred Space Advent & Christmas 2021-2022 by the Irish Jesuits is published in Ireland and the UK by Messenger Publications. Priced at €4.95/£4.50.