When Christmastime is approaching, most of Christian families spend time together to praise the Lord, cook delicacies, and go shopping for some original Christmas gifts for their loved ones.
Advent is such a particular time of the year when families reunite to wait and celebrate the birth of Jesus, our Savior.
You do the same, right?
Once you are done with the Catholic Christmas wreath, your decorations for the Christmas tree, gifts for loved ones and all your candles and ornaments, the thing that comes next is, of course, prayer.
Have you ever thought about dedicating one single prayer to a particular Saint who is deeply linked to Christmas?
We have actually resumed for you five meaningful prayers you can recite during Advent, in order to make you feel closer to the Lord.
Discover 5 inspiring Catholic prayers to celebrate together with your family and friends the birth of Christ.
Prayer 1 | Morning prayer to the Lord
First of all, always remember to pray to the Lord who, beside being our Eternal Father, is the Father of Jesus. Dedicate this following prayer to God as soon as you wake up, in order to start your day with all the energies and positivity you need.
Teach me how to choose only Your way today so each step will lead me closer to You.
Help me walk by the Word and not my feelings.
Help me to keep my heart pure and undivided.
Protect me from my own careless thoughts, words, and actions.
And keep me from being distracted by my wants, my desires, my thoughts
on how things should be.
Help me to embrace what comes my way as an opportunity
rather than a personal inconvenience.
Teach me how to unwrap the joy of your presence
Prayer 2 | Prayer to the Blessed Virgin Mary
The Blessed Mother of Jesus, also known as the Holy Virgin Mary, is probably the main character of Christmas, right after the Infant Jesus. She is the one who has been chosen by God for Her Immaculate conception. For this reason, it is very important to dedicate one of your daily prayers to the Blessed Virgin.
In 1999 and 2004, Pope John Paul II elaborated two prayers to the Blessed Mother that would let us adequately prepare our hearts for Christmas day, through the intercession of the Blessed Virgin in these final days before Christmas and the mystery of Incarnation.
Here is a combination of these two prayers to the Mother of Jesus you can recite whenever you want during the day. It does not matter if in the morning or at night… just recite it with faith.
May the Virgin Mary help us to open the doors of our hearts to Christ,
Redeemer of man and of history;
may she teach us to be humble, because God looks upon the lowly;
may she enable us to grow in understanding the value of prayer,
of inner silence, of listening to God’s Word;
may she spur us to seek God’s will deeply and sincerely, even when this upsets our plans;
may she encourage us while we wait for the Lord,
sharing our time and energies with those in need.
Mother of God, Virgin of expectation,
grant that the God-who-comes will find us ready to receive the abundance of his mercy.
May Mary Most Holy, “Woman of the Eucharist” and Virgin of Advent,
prepare us all to joyfully welcome Christ’s coming and to celebrate
His sacramental presence in the mystery of the Eucharist.
Amen.
In order to better focus on your daily Marian prayer, wear with faith this shiny Holy Virgin Medal, depicting the famous mosaic of the Blessed Mater Ecclesiae, commissioned by Pope John Paul II as a sign of heavenly protection of humanity.
Prayer 3 | Prayer to St. Joseph
The third main character linked to the Nativity is St. Joseph, the Patron Saint of fathers and surely the most loving of all fathers. When the Archangel Gabriel announced to Mary about the imminent birth of Jesus, St. Joseph did not hesitate to stay with Her and help Her through all Her pregnancy. He is such an example of Christian trust and faith in God. For this reason, when dedicating your prayer to St. Joseph, keep Him as a Christian model to follow along the journey of your whole life.
Take a moment of your daily routine to recite this following prayer to the putative Father of Jesus.
I place in you all my interests and desires.
Oh, St. Joseph, do assist me by your powerful intercession,
and obtain for me from your divine Son all spiritual blessings, through Jesus Christ, our Lord.
So that, having engaged here below your heavenly power,
I may offer my thanksgiving and homage to the most loving of Fathers.
St. Joseph, pray for me and my family, this Christmas.
Are you particularly devoted to Saint Joseph?
If yes, try to dedicate your most intimate prayers to this St. Joseph statue, completely made of high quality hand-painted wood, hand-carved by the best Italian craftsmen.
If you have an altar for prayers at home, you can even display it there.
Prayer 4 | Prayer to Jesus, the Son of God
After four weeks of Advent, on 25 December, we will celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ, which represents the mystery of Incarnation: through His only Son, God came on earth to save us all from death. Jesus is the representation of God made man and He is the most important symbol of the Lord’s great love for humanity; for this reason, it is really important to celebrate Him.
Dedicate one of your daily prayers to the Infant Jesus and ask for His permanent intercession to protect your family from diseases and struggles.
My precious Lord, Jesus,
I adore You with profound love and rejoice in the celebration of Your birth.
Your love for us is unfathomable,
it is glorious, transforming, awe-inspiring, and deeply personal.
You chose to come and dwell among us,
being born into poverty, rejection and humility.
Yet Your mother knew whom she bore,
Her heart was filled with the tenderest love
as she adored her Child and her God.
Help me, dear Lord.
to come to love You with the heart of Your mother.
Invite me to adore You with St. Joseph and the poor shepherds.
Reveal to me the glorious power of Your birth
and change my life on account of this perfect gift of Yourself.
I love You, dear Lord Jesus.
Help me to love You with all my heart.
Newborn Savior of the World,
I trust in You.
Pray for me and for all.
Amen.
This Infant Jesus figurine, completely made of colorful resin, will cheer your Nativity up!
Shop it now and aim your daily prayers at it.
PS: If you are going to include it in your Nativity Scene, just remember to display this figurine on 25 December (not before!).
Prayer 5 | Prayer for your family and children
After praying for those who sit in Heaven and constantly keep watching you from the highest, do not forget to pray for the ones who are physically close to you every day: your family and children.
Family is the foundational unit of society and it is composed by who is always with us and those we will spend the rest of our lives with.
For that reason, dedicate at least one prayer a day to your loved ones and make them feel protected by the loving eye of God.
All praise to You, Lord Jesus,
Lover of children:
Bless our family on the day of your Birth,
And help us to lead our children to You.
Give us light and strength,
And courage when our task is difficult.
Let Your Spirit fill us with love and peace during this Holy Advent,
So that we may help our children to love You everyday of their lives.
All glory and praise are Yours, Lord Jesus,
For ever and ever.
Amen.
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