Advent Inspirations 2024 Edits

Receive Advent Inspirations in your email inbox each morning of Advent. It's a great way to prepare your heart for Christmas.

Receive Advent Inspirations in your email inbox each morning of Advent. It's a great way to prepare your heart for Christmas.

Advent Inspirations 2025

Welcome to Advent Inspirations! You'll get a one-minute Advent-themed reflection from Father Rocky, each day of Advent. You can subscribe for free at relevantradio.com/advent.

Welcome to Advent Inspirations! You'll get a one-minute Advent-themed reflection from Father Rocky, each day of Advent. You can subscribe for free at relevantradio.com/advent.

Advent Inspirations

Stocking over the Fireplace

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Hi, this is Fr. Rocky with another Advent Inspiration.

Why do so many people go to Mass on Christmas?  Because no one wants to miss the opportunity to share in the Good News that a Savior has been born for us to save us from our sins. That’s really good news and gives everyone hope.

Christmas is the only celebration of the year that has four different sets of prayers and readings for the four different Masses: Christmas Eve Vigil Mass in the early evening; Midnight Mass, or Mass of the Angels; Mass at Dawn, or Mass of the Shepherds; and Mass during the Day, or Mass of the King.

Last Christmas I celebrated Christmas Mass in the cave of the Shepherds in Bethlehem on Christmas Morning. We sang “Joy to the World” and “O Come All Ye Faithful”, and the Gloria from the Missa de Angelis. Unforgettable.

Hi, this is Fr. Rocky with another Advent Inspiration.
Why do so many people go to Mass on Christmas?  Because no one wants to miss the opportunity to share in the Good News that a Savior has been born for us to save us from our sins. That’s really good news and gives everyone hope.
Christmas is the only celebration of the year that has four different sets of prayers and readings for the four different Masses: Christmas Eve Vigil Mass in the early evening; Midnight Mass, or Mass of the Angels; Mass at Dawn, or Mass of the Shepherds; and Mass during the Day, or Mass of the King.
Last Christmas I celebrated Christmas Mass in the cave of the Shepherds in Bethlehem on Christmas Morning. We sang “Joy to the World” and “O Come All Ye Faithful”, and the Gloria from the Missa de Angelis. Unforgettable.

The Four Masses of Christmas

St. Emeric’s Church on the near west side of Cleveland would leave the beautiful Christmas decorations up until February 2, a full forty days after Christmas.

Hi, this is Fr. Rocky, with another Advent Inspiration.

The Christmas decorations inside of St. Emeric’s Catholic Church were so beautiful, so ornate, so elaborate, I figured “Well if it took so much time to put them up, you might as well leave them up for a long time.” But then I discovered that some people – especially from Eastern European countries -- stretch out the Christmas season all the way to February 2, the Feast of the Presentation of the Christ Child in the Temple, also known as Candlemas, because your holy candles can be blessed that day.

For Catholics, the official Christmas season starts at sundown on Christmas Eve and lasts until the Feast of the Baptism of the Lord, which is on the Sunday after Epiphany.  Epiphany is when the Three Kings came to adore the Christ Child, and that is “Twelve Days of Christmas.”

St. Emeric&rsquo;s Church on the near west side of Cleveland would leave the beautiful Christmas decorations up until February 2, a full forty days after Christmas.
Hi, this is Fr. Rocky, with another Advent Inspiration.
The Christmas decorations inside of St. Emeric&rsquo;s Catholic Church were so beautiful, so ornate, so elaborate, I figured &ldquo;Well if it took so much time to put them up, you might as well leave them up for a long time.&rdquo; But then I discovered that some people &ndash; especially from Eastern European countries -- stretch out the Christmas season all the way to February 2, the Feast of the Presentation of the Christ Child in the Temple, also known as Candlemas, because your holy candles can be blessed that day.
For Catholics, the official Christmas season starts at sundown on Christmas Eve and lasts until the Feast of the Baptism of the Lord, which is on the Sunday after Epiphany.&nbsp; Epiphany is when the Three Kings came to adore the Christ Child, and that is &ldquo;Twelve Days of Christmas.&rdquo;

How long is the Christmas Season?

Does your family have Christmas traditions?

Hi, this is Fr. Rocky with another Advent Inspiration.

I think every family should have its own Christmas traditions, passed down from generation to generation. It’s one way of fulfilling the Fourth Commandment, “To honor your mother and father.”

I have some friends who still keep alive a family tradition after many generations.  Every year on Christmas Eve they invite friends and family over to their house for a wonderful party, and everyone brings along a favorite dish. It’s a great moment to reconnect with friends and family you haven’t seen in a year and catch up on the news. But the highlight is when everyone gathers in the living room around the piano to sing Christmas carols, and the all-time favorite in this family is Silent Night, because their ancestors came from Germany and Silent Night was composed originally in German.

We sing all the verses in English, and then do our best in German, as we reflect in wonder and awe of what it must have been like to leave Germany 170 years ago to start a new life in America. After all these generations, are we keeping the faith?

Does your family have Christmas traditions?
Hi, this is Fr. Rocky with another Advent Inspiration.
I think every family should have its own Christmas traditions, passed down from generation to generation. It’s one way of fulfilling the Fourth Commandment, “To honor your mother and father.”
I have some friends who still keep alive a family tradition after many generations.  Every year on Christmas Eve they invite friends and family over to their house for a wonderful party, and everyone brings along a favorite dish. It’s a great moment to reconnect with friends and family you haven’t seen in a year and catch up on the news. But the highlight is when everyone gathers in the living room around the piano to sing Christmas carols, and the all-time favorite in this family is Silent Night, because their ancestors came from Germany and Silent Night was composed originally in German.
We sing all the verses in English, and then do our best in German, as we reflect in wonder and awe of what it must have been like to leave Germany 170 years ago to start a new life in America. After all these generations, are we keeping the faith?

Stocking over the Fireplace

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