Preparing for Christmas

A timeless collection of Advent meditations inviting a deeper, more mature understanding of Christmas, from one of today’s most beloved spiritual teachers What if Advent were not merely a sentimental countdown to Christmas, but a summons to deeper awakening? In Preparing for Christmas, Richard Rohr invites readers beyond nostalgia of the holiday and into the true cosmic meaning of the Incarnation. Organized around the daily Scripture readings for the Advent season, these reflections follow the lectionary from the First Sunday of Advent through Christmas Day, guiding readers into a fuller encounter with the “reign of God” proclaimed by Jesus. Rohr challenges watered-down religion and invites readers into a faith marked by surrender, hope, non-dual awareness, and courageous trust. With characteristic clarity and pastoral urgency, he reframes familiar Advent themes—waiting, darkness, humility, incarnation, and the Lordship of Christ—as invitations to transformation here and now. Rather than offering private piety detached from the world’s suffering, Preparing for Christmas calls readers into conscious participation in God’s larger story. Advent becomes not a passive season of anticipation, but an ongoing way of life: awake, alert, and ready for the coming of Christ in every moment.