Reviving Advent: Daily Scripture Readings

Wednesday December 5, 2007

If the Advent wreath is part of your Advent practice already, why not supplement it with a daily Advent reading from Scripture? For each day of the year, the Church provides (in addition to the readings for Mass that day) a reading from the Bible that illustrates the theme of the particular celebration on that day or of the liturgical season that the day falls in.

For Advent, the themes include:

The need for repentance
Spiritual conversion
The extension of salvation from Israel to all nations

All of the readings for Advent come from the Old Testament book of the Prophet Isaiah, who, more clearly than any other prophet, foretold the coming of Christ. His admonitions to the people of Israel, to prepare themselves for the coming of the Lord, still ring true today, as we both prepare ourselves for Christmas and prepare for Christ's Second Coming at the end of time. (You can find the readings for the first week of Advent here.)

A good way to integrate these Scripture readings into your daily Advent routine is to tie them to something else. If you light your Advent wreath every day, then read the reading at that time. Or do the reading at supper, immediately after saying Grace After Meals.

While each day's reading builds on the previous ones, don't worry if you miss a day. You can catch up at your own pace, or even simply skip the ones you've missed. The important thing is simply to start.

Scripture Readings for Advent:

Related Resources for Advent: