John 3:16
O God, stir up Your presence in this world, that we all remember we belong to each other. Through your grace and mercy we are forgiven, and we pray we might extend that same grace and mercy to each other. Amen.
During Easter, we often follow and pray the Stations of the Cross. But what about Christmas? How can we recall the story of Jesus and his family? We welcome you to this self-guided Advent Trail.
• There are 10 stations that you can print out at this link. Hang these signs around your house, in your yard or in a particular room. Journey as an individual or family from station to station, with a Bible and the guide you can print out at this link.
Each station includes a Scripture reading and reflection questions elementary students and beyond can share about as a family. You can do this with the people you live with, Facetime with other family or friends, or ask your parish if they might create stations outside the church for people to enjoy.
One favorite holiday tradition is gathering around to watch a classic Christmas movie. One faith option to watch is created by the makers of “The Chosen” series. “The Chosen” is a multi-season, crowd-funded show about the life of Christ. The pilot episode revolves around a young shepherd who encounters Mary and Joseph and the birth of Jesus. While it is not created from an exclusively Catholic perspective, the directors and producers had a team of Bible-believing historical experts (including a Catholic priest) consulting on the project. You can find this film here, on YouTube.
Ever wonder how you might incorporate faith into your Christmas cooking and baking? Dough Holy Night is a deliciously fun family experience with the true meaning of Christmas baked right in. Families will bake cookies while discovering the ingredients that made the first ever Christmas so sweet. For $15, families can buy a license which includes videos, music playlists, coloring pages, and instructions here. Parishes can make it available to all their members for $95.
Spread the Good News about Jesus and his peace to the community with  Baby Jesus Rocks. Paint a simple picture of baby Jesus swaddled in his blanket on rocks, add a Bible verse on the back and then scatter them about the community — on park benches and pathways and other places — for people to find. Accessing the site requires an email address and free registration. A similar idea can also be found by searching sites online, including Pinterest.