Your Light Gives Us Hope: 24 Daily Practices for Advent

by Anselm Grün

Celebrated author and Benedictine monk Anselm Grün offers a daily reader of very simple and often quite direct Advent reflections. Anselm Grün shows the reader how to approach the festive season consciously, making it a blessed time for ourselves and our families. He draws on his experience as a spiritual director to offer practices for personal devotion or for family prayer for each day of Advent. Also included are special reflections for the Sundays of the season. Anselm Grün’s titles have sold more than 15 million copies in 30 languages. This title brings his spiritual wisdom to American readers who are eager for a new voice among titles for the Advent and Christmas season.

Genres: Spirituality, Nonfiction

112 pages, Paperback

Published October 10, 2017

About the author

Anselm Grün terminated his school years in 1964 with the A-level equivalent Abitur at the grammar school in Würzburg, Germany. In the same year he began as a novice at the nearby Benedictine Münsterschwarzach Abbey. From 1965 to 1971 he studied philosophy and theology at St. Ottilien Archabbey and in Rome. In 1974 he completed his PhD in theology on Karl Rahner. From 1974 to 1976 Anselm Grün studied Business in Nuremberg. Then he became the Cellerar of Münsterschwarzach Abbey and is thus responsible for the economic administration of the abbey with its over 280 employees and 20 businesses.

Reviews

[James · Rating 5 out of 5]

German Benedictine Monk Anselm Grün, of Cellarer of Münsterschwarzach Abbey is a teacher and spiritual director. His 2015 devotional, Dein Licht schekt uns Hoffnung, is presented here in translation. The daily entries take us from December 1 to 24 (like the chalky chocolate calendars) and emphasize practice. Grün includes introductions for each week of Advent, and reflections on Saints days, and brief reflections on the lectionary text; however half (or more) of each entry describes a 'practice' designed to help us press into the rebirth, renewal and the arrival of God in our midst.

These practices are mostly moments of personal reflection, lighting a candle, mindfulness meditation, long walks and prayer. Grün gives us an outline of practices and topics to reflect on for each day of the season.

Grün is a new author to me, but evidently a well known spiritual writer in his native Germany. I am excited to dig into this one and allow these practice to form me while I wait.

I received a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review