# Advent 2009 – Being Set Free
*2009-12-21*

> On the Fourth Sunday of Advent, Bill Young reflects on the freedom we find in gratitude and offers a simple family activity and prayer.

## Opening Prayer

Good morning. This is Bill Young, and welcome to episode 348 of Catholic Podcast Nutries Prayer. As we celebrate the Fourth Sunday of Advent, I begin with a prayer: “Blessed be the hour in which the Son of God was born of the pure Virgin in Bethlehem. In that cold night, grant us the desire to follow the merits of our Savior, Jesus Christ, and His blessed Mother.”

## Being Set Free

Many parents feel imprisoned by routine, business, and boredom. Others carry the weight of missed opportunities, depression, anxiety, addiction, or negative habits. If someone offers you a key to a cell, you can take it. On the last Sunday before Christmas, we are often busy with gifts, cooking, cards, and last‑minute errands. If we are not careful, we can turn blessings into burdens, forgetting that all is a gift. When you become more aware of your burdens than your blessings, try saying thank you for each task, even the difficult ones. Gratitude becomes the key that transforms burdens into blessings and leads to a grateful life.

## Family Activity

Today's activity: Write the number four on a piece of paper, then place it near the moon (or a window) and let your children decorate it. A traditional Advent symbol is a key, sometimes broken, representing freedom. Hang the decorated “four” where the family can see it as a reminder of the freedom we receive in Christ.

## Closing Prayer

Come, O Christ, come and open our heavenly home. Make it safe for the way we walk, and close the past. Rejoice, Emmanuel, and fill all our rooms with your presence. As we were born in the Lord on Christmas Day, may we be born anew in our hearts.

*Gratitude unlocks the freedom Christ offers us each day.*