11 Inspiring Advent & Christmas Quotes, Prayers and Bible Verses
Advent is a wonderful time to spend in prayer and reflection on Christ’s miraculous entry into our world.
This year the blessed season of Advent begins on Sunday, Nov. 27, the feast day of St. Andrew the Apostle. Catholic families will once again celebrate the period before Christmas by lighting candles, commemorating the days with Advent calendars and re-reading the story of Jesus’ birth.
To help you connect with the Lord during the Advent and Christmas season, below we offer some of our own favorite quotes, prayers and devotionals for reflection and inspiration:
Advent & Christmas Quotes
“Christmas isn’t just a temporal celebration or the memory of a beautiful (event); Christmas is more … Christmas is an encounter!” – Pope Francis
(Source: Catholic News Agency)
“Advent: Hope, Peace, Joy, Love”
“The magic of Christmas is not in the presents, but in His presence.” – Unknown
Advent & Christmas Bible Verses
“For this is how God loved the world: he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not perish but may have eternal life.” – John 3:16
“He will be a joy and delight to you, and many will rejoice because of his birth, for he will be great in the sight of the Lord. He is never to take wine or other fermented drink, and he will be filled with the Holy Spirit even before he is born. He will bring back many of the people of Israel to the Lord their God. And he will go on before the Lord, in the spirit and power of Elijah, to turn the hearts of the parents to their children and the disobedient to the wisdom of the righteous—to make ready a people prepared for the Lord.” – Luke 1:14-17
“May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in your faith, so that in the power of the Holy Spirit you may be rich in hope.” – Romans 15:13
The Magnificat
My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord,
my spirit rejoices in God my Savior;
for He has looked with favor on His lowly servant.
From this day all generations will call me blessed:
the Almighty has done great things for me,
and holy is His Name.
He has mercy on those who fear Him
in every generation.
He has shown the strength of His arm,
He has scattered the proud in their conceit.
He has cast down the mighty from their thrones,
and has lifted up the lowly.
He has filled the hungry with good things,
and the rich He has sent away empty.
He has come to the help of His servant Israel
for He remembered his promise of mercy,
the promise He made to our fathers,
to Abraham and His children forever.
- Luke 1:46-55
For more daily Advent Scripture Readings, check out this article from Catholic Online.
Advent Prayers
St. Andrew Christmas Novena Prayer
The St. Andrew Christmas Novena Prayer is a staple tradition of the Advent season. In hopes of obtaining what you ask for, the prayer is recited 15 times a day from the feast of St. Andrew until Christmas Day.
Hail and blessed be the hour and moment in which the Son of God was born of the most pure Virgin Mary, at midnight, in Bethlehem, in the piercing cold.
In that hour vouchsafe, O my God, to hear my prayer and grant my desires, through the merits of Our Savior Jesus Christ, and of His blessed Mother.
Amen.
Keep the St. Andrew Novena prayer close with a laminated Christmas Novena Holy Card and use our St. Andrew Christmas Novena Chaplet as you pray during the Christmas season.
A Daily Devotional for Advent
Your light will come, O Jerusalem. The Lord will dawn on you in radiant beauty. We shall see the glory of the Lord, the splendor of our God. The sign of the cross shall appear in the heavens, when our Lord shall come to judge the world.
To Our Lady, Mother of Advent
To Our Lady, Mother of Advent, O Mother of our Advent, be with us and see to it that he will remain with us in this difficult Advent of the struggles for truth and hope, for justice and peace: He, alone, Emmanuel.
(Source: Catholic.org)
Advent Prayer
Come, long-expected Jesus. Excite in me a wonder at the wisdom and power of Your Father and ours. Receive my prayer as part of my service of the Lord who enlists me in God's own work for justice.
Come, long-expected Jesus. Excite in me a hunger for peace: peace in the world, peace in my home, peace in myself.
Come, long-expected Jesus. Excite in me a joy responsive to the Father's joy. I seek His will so I can serve with gladness, singing and love.
Come, long-expected Jesus. Excite in me the joy and love and peace it is right to bring to the manger of my Lord. Raise in me, too, sober reverence for the God who acted there, hearty gratitude for the life begun there, and spirited resolution to serve the Father and Son.
I pray in the name of Jesus Christ, whose advent I hail. Amen.
(Source: OurCatholicFaith.org)
More Resources for Celebrating the Advent and Christmas Season
- Advent Gift Guide: Ideas for Calendars, Wreaths, Prayer Books & More
- How to Celebrate a Traditional Advent Season
- The History & Meaning Behind the 12 Days of Christmas Celebration