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HOW TO USE THIS BOOK

For those who like structure, the first chapter offers a prayer a day for the first three weeks of Advent. The second chapter has prayers for the fourth week of Advent, and a prayer a day for the seven days covered by the Advent Antiphons (17–23 December). The third and fourth chapters give a wealth of material to take us from Christmas Eve to New Year’s Eve. The final chapter offers a prayer a day from New Year’s Eve until the feast of the Epiphany on 6 January, followed by prayers to ponder until the season ends on 2 February.

Please don’t feel bound by the structure. Many of us lead gently chaotic lives and we may find that days go by when we are simply too busy or tired to offer more than a brief arrow prayer to God. Don’t feel guilty. God understands. But there may suddenly be a moment when the train is delayed or the children’s nativity rehearsal overruns. These are golden opportunities to find a prayer that resonates and to read it slowly, perhaps several times, letting the imagery unfold and allowing God to speak to us wherever we are. If we allow him to speak, he will. We simply need to listen.

Jan McFarlane