Books for Advent

Drinking with Saint Nick is a unique and delightful gift book that celebrates the traditional holiday season. Written by Michael Foley, author of Drinking with the Saints, this special book has something for everyone! From hot gin toddies and smoking rosemary old fashioneds to beer and cider selections, it is the perfect way to bring the spirit of Christmas into your home! Enjoy learning about Saint Nicholas and other saints while you sip on festive cocktails that will make your Christmas Eve...

From Medieval miniatures to Renaissance paintings to modern Christmas cards, few Western images are as evocative and enigmatic as the Three Wise Men at the Nativity. After twenty years of research and travel by the author, this new novel explores why and how these mysterious figures braved such dangers and survived such fearsome challenges that they have endured in our minds and culture for two thousand years. The Test of the Magi reveals the timeless emotional bond between student and teache...

Advent Poems Each Advent season is new. Those most recent have been tumultuous: COVID, bitterly cold snows, visionaries speaking frankly of a coming apocalypse. But other things as well: our own issues, the creeping age factor, the death of loved ones. Advent, like a creaking old metal gate, corrects us every time. It lets us know that only one thing matters: the stable, that little crib where cows chewed hay. Children, and childlike adults, still find all the consolation they need there. We ...

The Theology of the Christmas Mystery In Cradle of Redeeming Love, John Saward returns to the mystery of Christ's incarnation and birth. Drawing upon both the rich traditions of the Church and the writings of the great Christian mystics, he fashions a work both new and old, revolutionary and orthodox. This profoundly moving meditation on the meaning of the Incarnation will enrich any contemplation on the life of Christ. The subject of this book is the "Christmas" dogma: the divinely revealed ...

Daily Meditations for Sanctifying Advent This book is written to bring to our minds the thoughts of Advent so that we may think and pray with Mary, who brought Christ to us. Advent, like Lent, is a time of preparation in thought and deed for a great event. Certainly, if a king or a cardinal were to come to our home as a guest, we would prepare for his advent. Should we not prepare, then, for the great King of the universe during these days? Instead of coming to our homes, however, His Advent,...

Perfectly timed for the Christmas season, Joy to the World brings an understanding of the importance of this special time of year that has not be seen before. Written by New York Times bestselling author Scott Hahn and illustrated by #1 New York Times Best Selling illustrator Timeless Jones, this awe-inspiring look into the real story behind Christmas is one you'll never forget. Hahn delves into Scripture and early Church teachings, helping us understand why this season has been celebrated si...

Modern biblical scholars tend to dismiss the Christmas story of the "wise men from the East" as pious legend. Matthew's gospel offers few details, but imaginative Christians filled out the story early on, giving us the three kings guided by a magical star who join the adoring shepherds in every Christmas crèche. For many scholars, then, there is no reason to take the gospel story seriously. But are they right? Are the wise men no more than a poetic fancy? In an astonishing feat of detective w...

What does the Bible really say about the birth of Jesus? How did the celebration of Christmas become associated with things like Santa Claus and decorated trees? In The True Meaning of Christmas: The Birth of Jesus and the Origins of the Season, biblical scholar Michael Patrick Barber offers an inspiring look at the Bible's accounts of Jesus'' birth and the development of the Christmas season. Along the way, he answers numerous questions, including: - How is the Christmas story related to anc...

Radiating the wondrous spirit of the season, The Spider Who Saved Christmas rekindles an ancient legend, casting new light on the story we thought we knew. Created by New York Times Bestselling Author Raymond Arroyo, The Spider Who Saved Christmas spins the enchanting faith-filled tale of Nephila, a cave-dwelling spider who plays a pivotal role central to the Christmas story. This instant classic reveals the origin of Christmas tinsel and reminds us that hope can always be found even in dark ...

This Advent, lead your family closer to Christ as you prepare for the Lord's coming at Christmas. Engage with the Old Testament patriarchs and prophets who are the branches in Jesus' family tree and come to understand fully how, in Christ, this family history becomes the history of our salvation. As you explore Jesus' fascinating ancestry, you'll see how God's plan of salvation unfolds from Adam and Eve, through the Old Testament prophets, to the birth of Christ, the Holy Sacrifice of the Mas...