From Today's Office
God will bless us, and all the ends of the earth will fear him.

Psalm 67:7

Meditation
As we prepare our hearts and our homes to receive anew the Gift that supplies all we need and more, we must consider and understand together that the deserts we inhabit are to be restored, that while this earth is a means of revelation, it is also more than that. It is an earth, a beautifully, lovingly shaped thing that speaks to us, even as it feeds us, shelters us, holds us up. By his entering our creaturely condition, he makes the stuff itself more worthy. (Scott Cairns) —God With Us, edited by Greg Pennoyer and Gregory Wolfe

Prayer of the Day for Eucharist

Dear Jesus, I have freely received, yet it is rare that I freely give with an open heart. Lord, please change my heart into one of overflowing gratitude for all you have given me, then I cannot help but give to others. Amen.

Cloister Reading
Isaiah 12:1-6 — 1 Thessalonians 4:1-12 — Matthew 9:35–10:1, 6–10

From Today's Office
Summon your power, O God; show us your strength, O God, as you have done before.

Psalm 68:28

Meditation
Into the desert of human history, and even here, into the modern deserts we shape and inhabit, at a time when the poor and needy—their tongues parched with thirst—desperately seek life-sustaining waters, the Holy One pours out rivers and fountains. He is with us in our poverty, and he is with us in our respite from it. (Scott Cairns)


—God With Us, edited by Greg Pennoyer and Gregory Wolfe

Prayer of the Day for Eucharist

Dear Lord Jesus Christ, I am prone to try to impress people with what I consider my wisdom and my intelligence. Help me to be your child today, to wait for you, and to listen for the hidden things that you are telling me. Amen.

Cloister Reading
Isaiah 9:1-7 — 1 Thessalonians 3:6-13 — Luke 10:21–24

AMBROSE, BISHOP OF MILAN

From Today's Office
I will take refuge in the shadow of your wings until the disaster has passed. Psalm 57:1b

Meditation
If we consider the possibility that others do not feel and think the same as we do, we suddenly feel very small in a mysterious, expansive universe. There is security in a world where all the others are like me. It’s a false security, but we prefer it to no security at all. —Lonni Collins Pratt, Radical Hospitality

Prayer of the Day for Eucharist

Dear Lord and Master, I so often shy away from being a servant. I am sorry! I look to the example of Ambrose today. Help me, like him, to watch and wait for you, putting my energies and my focus toward being ready to meet you.Amen.

Cloister Reading
Isaiah 30:19-21, 23-26 — 2 Corinthians 11:1-6 — Luke 12:35–37, 42–44

From Today's Office
Let those who fear the Lord say: “His love endures forever.” Psalm 118:4

Meditation
O souls set free by the blood of Jesus Christ! Learn to understand and have compassion for yourselves. Strive to lift the black cloak that darkens the crystal of your soul. (Teresa of Avila)

—Claudia Mair Burney, God Alone is Enough

Prayer of the Day for Eucharist

Dear Lord, make me ready for your coming! Prepare your way in the wilderness of my heart and make the crooked places in me straight. Give me ears to hear your call to continual repentance and baptize me afresh in the living waters of your Holy Spirit. Amen.

Cloister Reading
Isaiah 40:1-11 — 2 Peter 3:8-15a — Mark 1:1–8

From Today's Office
I give you thanks, O LORD, with my whole heart; before the gods I sing your praise; I bow down toward your holy temple and give thanks to your name for your steadfast love and your faithfulness; for you have exalted your name and your word above everything.

Psalm 138:1–2

Meditation
Advent comes each year and says; “This is the time!” Can you recognize it? Kairos is here. This is the hour of salvation. This is the time “for you to wake from sleep.” Wake up to the here and now. Wake up and see how God is moving in your life. Wake up and learn to tell kairos time.
—Mark A. Villano, Time to Get Ready

Prayer of the Day for Eucharist

Dear Lord, what matters more than any works is my relationship with you, the Father, and the Holy Spirit. I too often rejoice in things on earth and in what makes me feel good about myself. Help me to choose to look up and rejoice that my name is written in heaven. Amen.

Cloister Reading
Isaiah 6:1-9 — 1 Thessalonians 3:1-5 — Luke 10:17–20

From Today's Office
You desire truth in the inward being; therefore teach me wisdom in my secret heart.

Psalm 51:6

Meditation
Such deep attention to the present cannot help but transform us as we learn—or relearn as the case may be—how to live deeply and truly in the present moment, so that we are content to linger in our lives as they are now and not be forever looking forward, striving onward to the next goal.
—Paula Gooder, The Meaning is in the Waiting

Prayer of the Day for Eucharist

Lord, it touches me deeply that this centurion, a man of some importance, cares so much for his servant boy that he seeks you out. He not only seeks you, he has tremendous faith and an understanding of who you are, more than anyone in Israel. Help me to so care for others that I bring them before you, in the sure knowledge of your saving, healing love. Amen.

Cloister Reading
Isaiah 5:1-7 — 1 Thessalonians 2:17-20 — Matthew 8:5–11

From Today's Office
And Mary said, “My soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior, for he has looked with favor on the lowliness of his servant.”

Luke 1:46–48a

Meditation
Wisdom is vindicated by her deeds. In other words, time will tell where wisdom lies. It takes a certain kind of trust to see that. It takes the maturity that allows us to drop those layers of illusion that we’ve lived with for so long. It takes the wisdom that sees the alluring and trustworthy power of truth: the truth that will come to us at Christmas as a child. —Mark A. Villano, Time to Get Ready

Prayer of the Day for Eucharist

Jesus, you tell me to be on my guard lest the things of this world overtake me. Grant me the grace to stand strong and firm in the life you have called me to and not be swayed, even subtly, by worldly cares and concerns. Keep my eyes set on you. Amen.

Cloister Reading
Isaiah 4:2-6 — 1 Thessalonians 2:9-16 — Luke 21:34–38

From Today's Office
But it is for you, O LORD, that I wait. Psalm 38:15a

Meditation
One of the many reasons we wait in Advent is to hone our skills of being joyfully and fully present now. After a month of doing this, Christmas Day can gain a depth and meaning that would otherwise fly past in a whirl of presents and mince pies. —Paula Gooder, The Meaning is in the Waiting

Prayer of the Day for Eucharist

Thank you, Lord, for your promise that no matter what, your words will not pass away. Your truth is everlasting, and I choose to stand in your truth daily, eagerly awaiting your coming in power and glory. Amen.

Cloister Reading
Isaiah 2:1-4 — 1 Thessalonians 2:1-8 — Luke 21:29–33

From Today's Office
Blessed be the Lord God of Israel, for he has looked favorably on his people and redeemed them. He has raised up a mighty savior for us in the house of his servant David, as he spoke through the mouth of his holy prophets from of old, that we would be saved from our enemies and from the hand of all who hate us. Luke 1:68–71

Meditation
In Advent, then, we wait for something that has already happened in sure and certain knowledge that it will happen again, and again, and again. It is this certainly that underpins the New Testament concept of hope.
Paula Gooder, The Meaning is in the Waiting
—Paula Gooder, The Meaning is in the Waiting

Prayer of the Day for Eucharist

Lord, I want to endure to the end. Grant me grace to stand steadfastly and patiently in all the trials and difficulties of this life. I trust you for the grace to stand and bear testimony, and to speak your words. Thank you, Jesus. Amen.

Cloister Reading
Isaiah 1:14-20 — 1 Thessalonians 1:1-10 — Luke 21:12–19

FIRST SUNDAY OF ADVENT

From Today's Office
I wait for the LORD, my soul waits, and in his word I hope; Psalm 130:5

Meditation
Oh! If only we knew how much we need the grace and help of God, we would never lose sight of him, not even for a moment.

—Brother Lawrence of the Resurrection as quoted in Holy Thirst: Essentials of Carmelite Spirituality

Prayer of the Day for Eucharist

Lord, never before have these verses about your coming seemed so pertinent and the time so imminent. I want to be ready, I want to be one of your elect that you gather. Help me to listen to your Holy Spirit daily, moment by moment so that I am attuned to you more than I have ever been. Amen.

Cloister Reading
Isaiah 64:1-9 — 1 Corinthians 1:3-9 — Mark 13:24–37