Advent, which started on Sunday 1st December, is a time of waiting and preparation for both the celebration of the birth of Jesus at Christmas, and for the second coming of Christ.
On each of the four Sundays preceding Christmas, an Advent candle is lit, and these four candles represent Hope, Love, Joy and Peace – the themes of Advent.
Once again this year, the Irish Catholic Bishop’s Conference has a digital Advent Calendar available on the website www.catholicbishops.ie.
Based on the Jubilee Year’s theme of Hope, the digital calendar offers prayers & resources reflecting on the hope Christ brings to the world, while also preparing for the upcoming Holy Jubilee Year in 2025.
For each day of Advent, you are invited to open the calendar’s doors on the homepage of www.catholicbishops.ie where you will experience brief personal video reflections relating to the Advent season, delivered by lay men & women, young people & clergy.
Launching the 2024 digital calendar, Bishop Fintan Monahan said, “As we enter this season to prepare for the second coming of Christ, we note the major themes of Advent: waiting and preparation, darkness and light, and the promise of comfort and hope. I encourage all to avail of our online Advent calendar and make prayerful space for God in our lives, each day, over the next four weeks. I respectfully invite individuals and families to use the calendar as part of their daily prayer routine and to incorporate it into parish activities”.
