Blessed Christmas! God is with us!

Hard to believe Advent, and this beloved St. Andrew Christmas Novena, are over!

​I hope that praying this novena helped you prepare more deeply to adore the Christ Child in that "blessed hour and moment!" No need to stop abruptly, by the way! Keep praying it as long as you feel inspired to!  It's a beautiful prayer anytime you are in adoration, or during Mass, as He is about to be made present in the Eucharist. Where ever Jesus is present in the Eucharist, it's Christmas!

For your visual mediation on this Christmas day, I offer you this peaceful and recollected Renaissance painting by Filippino Lippi, "The Adoration of the Child" on view at the National Gallery of Art in Washington, DC.

In these days of Christmas, (and you can take it the full traditional 40, until Feb 2, the Feast of the Presentation!) I hope that you can carve out many hours and moments adoring, with Our Lady and the angel, in quiet solitude, our Emmanuel. He longs so much to be intimate with us; let us make quiet time to be alone with Him.

See you next Advent, God willing!

In the meantime, to stay connected, follow me on my For the Love of Beauty Facebook page for more ways to pray with art throughout the year and/or subscribe below for email updates.

One more time together...