January 1
Monday in the Octave of Christmas
Solemnity of Mary, Mother of God
And Mary kept all these things, reflecting on them in her heart.
Luke 2:19
The shepherds arriving after Jesus’s birth must have been a surprise. Mary and Joseph knew there was something special about the child, and Mary’s cousin, Elizabeth, had said the same. But now, for the first time, this little life was touching complete strangers. And they must have looked strange—and smelled even stranger. These were outsiders, and they arrived with wide eyes and fantastical stories about the heavens opening up and a message from an angel.
How did they know what was going on with this little family so far from home? When the shepherds left, they continued to share the news about shining angels coming in the night with tidings of joy and praise. According to Luke, everyone who heard their tale was amazed, which is easy to imagine. It’s quite a story, and the fact that it came from shepherds probably made it good grist for the gossip mill. But Mary knew differently—she “kept these things, reflecting on them in her heart.”
That one small line tells us quite a bit about Mary. She had just carried and delivered to us God’s Son. Though that was a task that bent history, she didn’t stop pondering, searching, thinking, hoping, and waiting for God to speak to her. She continued to read her experience through the lens of her faith—it was a way of life for her. It was wonderous, and likely terrifying, when God sent an angel to speak to her, but she also knew how to listen for God’s voice in the ordinary experiences of her life.
Prayer for Morning
Hail Mary, full of grace, you were committed to prayer and reflection—a journey I am walking as well. I am not perfect, but I trust you to help me to be faithful to these habits, so that I may become more alive in God’s Spirit, and bear God’s Word to the world as you did. Mary, our mother, help me listen for God’s Word speaking within me today.
Traveling Question
When will I find a moment to reflect in my heart this day?
Prayer for Evening
Holy Mary, Mother of God, your life of faithfulness led you to many surprises. Through it all, you trusted in God. I don’t know what tomorrow will hold, but I know that God holds me with the same tenderness he held you. That closeness is enough for now—God will lead me through whatever is ahead. Mary, our mother, help me rest in the love of your Son this night.
January 2
Tuesday in the Christmas Season
May the simple beauty of Jesus’ birth summon us always to love what is most deeply human, and to see your Word made flesh reflected in those whose lives we touch.
Because God shares our humanity in Jesus Christ, we do not need to search for God in some distant place. The search for God’s presence moves us inward and deeper into our own stories. Our memories and experiences and longings are all places where God speaks to us. Being in a beautiful cathedral lifts our spirits, but God is just as content to meet us when we turn to him in the stillness of our hearts. This journey inward and deeper is not self-involved, however—it spins us outward. The more we encounter and are changed by God’s self-giving love, the more we are drawn to imitate it by offering ourselves to others.
Prayer for Morning
Lord Jesus, you raised our dignity by joining our humanity. My adoption into God’s family joins me inseparably to others in that family that shares my dignity. Raise my awareness of how I can better love my neighbor. Loving Father, help me reflect your self-giving love today.
Traveling Question
Who will touch my life today in a way that reveals your Word to me?
Prayer for Evening
Lord Jesus, God’s Word made flesh, you did not hold back anything from us, even when our humanity showed you our worst—when we betrayed and mocked and killed you. Your love conquers all, even the worst parts of us. Help me believe that nothing can stand in the way of your love for me. Loving Father, let me rest in your unconditional love this night.
January 3
Wednesday in the Christmas Season
Concerning the Word of life. . .
What we have seen and heard we proclaim to you now so that you, too, may have fellowship with us; for our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son, Jesus Christ.
1 John 1:1, 3
Our spiritual journey through the Advent and Christmas seasons is meant to deepen our connection to others who walk with us, and to strengthen our bonds to those who have walked before us in faith and those who will walk after us. John wrote his letter that is quoted above from within a specific community trying to make sense of life in the light of Jesus’s birth, life, death, and resurrection. As a Christian community, we’ve held on to his words for a reason—we pass them on because they draw us into the same search for meaning, and point to an answer: we are part of a communion of faithful people who through the ages have followed the way of Jesus.
Prayer for Morning
Spirit of life, you guide our community of faith through the centuries, helping us walk in the way of Jesus. Help me follow his way so that my life reflects your divine life more clearly. Increase my faith, hope, and love so that what people see and hear from me proclaims the Word of Life. Jesus, Word of Life, speak through me today.
Traveling Question
Where will I hear words of life today?
Prayer for Evening
Spirit of life, you put us in communion with all of the faithful who have gone before us—you offer us their friendship as an aid in our journey. May their faith give me confidence to trust God with my life, knowing that he will keep me safe in his love, no matter what my future holds. Jesus, Word of Life, I trust in you.
January 4
Thursday in the Christmas Season
He comes in splendor, the King who is our peace; the whole world longs to see him.
What a strange thing to say—that Jesus comes in splendor! We know the story: he came as a helpless infant, arriving without a home or a bed and two travel-weary newlyweds for parents, and they had to flee for his life almost immediately. Would it not be more accurate to say that he came in powerlessness? Yet this is the whole point of his birth: he opened a way for God to meet us in our vulnerability. By entering our most broken places, God forever joined the human and the divine. The child Jesus became the meeting place between heaven and earth.
Prayer for Morning
Prince of Peace, you are with us in all things, and have the power to use our powerlessness as a means for our good. Give me the faith to be able to see glory in vulnerability, not to fear it, for it leads me to depend upon you alone. Jesus, our King, meet me in vulnerability today.
Traveling Question
What will I do when I encounter powerlessness this day?
Prayer for Evening
Prince of Peace, the whole world longs for the rest only you can offer. I come to you with the burdens I carry and offer them to you, knowing nothing is too small or minor for your help. I don’t expect you to take them away from me, but your companionship and strength will help me carry them. Jesus, our King, be my source of peace.
January 5
Friday in the Christmas Season
Give thanks to the Father, who has made you fit to share the inheritance of the holy ones in light.
Colossians 1:12
In Jesus, God has made us worthy of the same light that shines from the saints and angels. In him, we are partakers in divine life, destined for communion with God forever. We didn’t do anything to become worthy of this gift—there’s nothing we could do to become worthy of it. It is freely offered because this is who God is: self-gift. God could no more withhold this love than a tree could withhold shade. Our part is simple—to give thanks.
Prayer for Morning
Merciful Father, you created us for eternity with you. This destiny is too high, too wide, and too far for us to imagine, so you came to us in your Son to walk with us there through whatever trials we face. Expand my hope so I keep the light of this vision before me. Father, keep my heart set on you today.
Traveling Question
How might I offer thanks to God today?
Prayer for Evening
Merciful Father, your saints live with you in the light of everlasting love. As darkness falls on the earth this evening, continue to shine in my life. I come before you with the only thing I can offer in return for the gift of your love: my gratitude and wonder. Father, I give you thanks for the way you illuminate my life.
January 6
Saturday in the Christmas Season
While earth was rapt in silence and night only half through its course, your mighty Word, O Lord, came down from his royal throne, alleluia.
Although too early to detect, light is returning to our days now that the sun is beginning its march toward summer. Every day we gain back minutes of light, reminding us of the hope that has dawned in our world with the coming of Jesus. From the moment of his birth, light has shone in our darkness.
Though Jesus is God’s Word, he came to us in silence. He arrived in a hidden, quiet way—and he continues to come to us in stillness. Silence is a privileged way for us to hear God speaking; when we cultivate stillness in our hearts, we make room for the Word.
Prayer for Morning
Lord Jesus, Light of the World, the darkness of uncertainty and emptiness is not foreign to you. When I feel alone and lost, send your Spirit to illuminate my way. Help me to find you here with me. Word of God, help me hear you speaking to me today.
Traveling Question
How will I make room for silence today?
Prayer for Evening
Spirit of light and truth, you draw us to communion with the Father through Jesus our brother. The dawn of his coming broke into our world in a quiet and hidden way. Be with me here in the silence of this evening, that his light might shine and burn within me. Word of God, meet me in this stillness.
January 7
Epiphany Sunday
May he be like rain coming down upon the fields, like showers watering the earth, That abundance may flourish in his days, great bounty, till the moon be no more.
Psalm 72:6–7
There’s a word for that wet, earthy scent that emerges just as rain begins to fall: petrichor. The smell comes from ozone (created by lightning and carried downward by water droplets), plants releasing aromatic oils, and a molecule called geosmin, which is produced by bacteria in the soil. The human nose is highly attuned to geosmin—we can detect it in levels as low as five parts per trillion. Some scientists believe that our bodies became sensitive to geosmin because our ancestors relied on rainwater for survival—the substance came to signal an important change in weather that we needed to be ready for. Even now that we have reliable sources of water, petrichor usually stops us in our tracks with a breath of wonder.
Humans are also finely attuned to hope. It’s not a scent, but we do perceive it on the parts-per-trillion scale. We notice someone whose life is marked by hope because they seem to run with a different motor—they have resilience and joy; they live abundantly. We need these things to survive, too. Something like wonder and hope drew the Magi over the desert to Bethlehem to find our newborn Savior. They were searching for a deeper order to reality—a way to make sense of the world—and sensed something new in the changes they observed in the astronomical weather. So, they packed up and followed their noses. We are all searching for meaning, too—we are all on a journey to make sense of our place in the world. Unless you’re an astronomer, your tools are different than what the Magi used, but the same desire is pulling you. It’s the smell of hope.
Prayer for Morning
Lord Jesus, your birth drew visitors far and wide who were searching for the life you bring. I know the people I will meet today—even in passing—are also searching for your life. Direct my decisions and actions so that others may discern your presence as my guiding star. Jesus, our Savior, deepen my faith, hope, and love.
Traveling Question
What am I searching for today, and what signs are speaking to me?
Prayer for Evening
Lord Jesus, the Magi who found you were searching for royalty but found a homeless infant. They were open enough to change their expectations, however, and recognized in you what they were looking for. Help me adjust my vision to see you in places I might not expect. Jesus, our Savior, I come before you to offer the gift of my life.
January 8
Feast of the Baptism of the Lord
The spirit of the Lord God is upon me, because the Lord has anointed me; He has sent me to bring good news to the afflicted, to bind up the brokenhearted, To proclaim liberty to the captives, release to the prisoners, To announce a year of favor from the Lord and a day of vindication by our God; To comfort all who mourn.
Isaiah 61:1–2
Jesus’s baptism marks the beginning of his public ministry—in the gospels, this event serves as the transition point between the early years of his birth and the accounts of his adult life spent teaching and healing. In fact, in the Gospel of Luke, Jesus begins his public ministry by appearing in the synagogue in Nazareth and proclaiming these words from the prophet Isaiah. They function as a mission statement for him—he is here to fulfill the vision of a Savior who is sent to the lonely and brokenhearted. His mission is to proclaim good news to the poor and liberty to captives.
In the stillness of prayer these past weeks, we’ve felt God’s nearness to us, especially in our darkness. This is exactly why God sent Jesus—to bring us glad tidings and heal our broken hearts. Reflecting on Jesus’s baptism also concludes our Advent journey and Christmas feasting. Today’s feast calls to mind our own baptisms, which allow our lives to take the same shape as Jesus’s life, death, and resurrection. Having been immersed into the life of Christ in his Church, our next step is to take up our role in its mission. Jesus didn’t come to save us as mere individuals. He came to save us as a people, to welcome us collectively to his mission of drawing into God’s kingdom all of humanity, indeed all of creation. The baptism we share with him makes us ready to get to work.
Prayer for Morning
Holy Spirit, in our baptism, you shared God’s life with us. Deepen my faith that I may imitate Jesus. In following his way, may I come to embody his life and love for the world. Spirit of the Lord, send me out with your Good News today.
Traveling Question
Who is lonely or brokenhearted in my life today? What good news can I share with them?
Prayer for Evening
Lord Jesus Christ, here at the end of this celebration of your birth, I give you thanks for the many ways you come to me. Thank you for walking with me these past weeks. Be with me in the days ahead that I may continue walking in your way. Spirit of the Lord, deepen my faith and raise me to new life in Christ.
This excerpt from Draw Near: Daily Prayers for Advent and Christmas 2023 is reprinted with permission of Ave Maria Press.
