christmas

On Christmas morning, and on weekdays throughout the Christmas season, the Church’s liturgy invites us to delve deeply into the first Chapter of the Gospel of John.  John the Evangelist was an eye-witness of the events he describes. And since he was at the same time both the youngest and also the longest-living of the Twelve Apostles, he had a whole lifetime to contemplate the significance of those events. A meditative reading of his words, a lectio divina of John 1, therefore, can be a powerful way to live the season of Advent, which is designed to help us discover afresh the wonder and the meaning of the Incarnation of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. And that’s exactly what we will do in this Advent Retreat Guide, What Are You Looking For?

• In the First Meditation, we will savor John 1:1–18—his famous prologue, which sets the stage for his entire Gospel.

• In the Second Meditation, we will jump ahead to the end of the Chapter and consider the initial meeting between Jesus and his very first disciples—an unforgettable encounter that can help refresh our own relationship with the Lord.

• And in the conference, we will reflect on one of Advent’s key players: John the Baptist. He was the first person to announce the Gospel by bearing witness to Jesus. By taking a closer look at how he lived his mission, we will get some practical tips on how each of us can live our own mission.

The Personal Questionnaire/Group discussion questions and the full text are available in the Companion Guide Book.  The Small Group Companion Guide has the questions and quotations. Either download the PDF Companion Guide Book or purchase it. The Companion Guide Book is available for purchase as a paperback at Amazon. Pause the video at any moment to go to the Companion Guide Book or continue to the next meditation.