Three by Teresa Tomeo on Advent and Christmas

Teresa Tomeo, author of Extreme Makeover: Women Transformed by Christ, Not Conformed to the Culture, has been writing some columns for Fathers for Good, an initiative for men by the Knights of Columbus.

One is "Reclaiming Advent", which recounts how an accident led to a deeper appreciation of the meaning of Advent. Another is "Shopping with Christmas Values", which begins with these questions:

Advent is supposed to be a time of reflection and penance, yet too often becomes rushed and hectic as the stores count down the number of shopping days till Christmas.

But did you ever think about ways to incorporate the gift buying into a more meaningful experience that could make a statement about who you are and who Christ is? Did you ever think that shopping could be done with a lot of purpose, not only to provide nice gifts but to engage the culture and counteract some of the ugliness and ungodliness so prevalent in today's world?

Her most recent, "No Better Gift", encourages husbands and wives to accept and embrace the gift of praying together:

There are only a few days left until Christmas and you're still stumped on what to give to your husband or wife. Maybe that long-awaited weekend away for just the two of you? Maybe a gift certificate to his or her favorite restaurant? Those are nice ideas but wouldn't it be great if we could give something that would last for more than a few hours or days? How about something that could make a positive and powerful impact on your marriage?

One of the best gifts my husband and I ever gave each other, from which we still benefit greatly, was the gift of couple prayer. Most Catholics are familiar with the saying made famous by the much loved priest Father Patrick Peyton, who founded the Family Rosary Crusade movement: "The family that prays together stays together." Well, Father Peyton was right about family prayer, so it would naturally follow that couple prayer strengthens marriages also. What married couple living in today's increasing secular society couldn't use a little spiritual toning and strengthening?

Read the entire essay.