# Opening Our Hearts to God: Advent Prayers with Pope Francis
*2015-12-04*

> Bill Young introduces the Advent booklet “Opening Our Hearts to God, Praying Through Advent with Pope Francis,” shares Stephen Muller’s introduction, and presents the first Sunday’s reading and prayer.

## Introduction and the Advent Booklet

Good morning, this is Bill Young and welcome to the Prayer and Lunch podcast. I’ve been re‑recording some of our Advent readings and prayers, including passages from last year that quote Pope Francis. My new booklet, which arrived on Monday, is called *Opening Our Hearts to God, Praying Through Advent with Pope Francis*. I’ll be sharing some of those readings today.

## Stephen Muller’s Introduction

First, I’d like to read the introduction by our editor, Stephen Muller:

“Advent is a time in the liturgical year when we prepare for Christmas, celebrating the encounter between God and ourselves. We focus in a special way on God’s presence, which did not occur only once in history but continues today in our hearts and in our lives. Pope Francis has often encouraged us to attend to God’s presence in order to deepen our relationship with Jesus, under the guidance of the Holy Spirit, as he says in his apostolic exhortation *The Joy of the Gospel*, number three. He invites all Christians to renew a personal encounter with Christ, to be open to letting Him encounter us. He asks us to do this daily. No one should think this invitation is not meant for him or her, since no one is excluded from the joy brought by the Lord. The Lord does not disappoint those who take this risk. Whenever we take a step toward Jesus, we discover that He is already there, waiting for us with open arms.*

“So let us use these daily prayers of Pope Francis during Advent to open our hearts, listening more attentively to God’s Word in Scripture and to the promptings of the Holy Spirit in our hearts, that when Christmas arrives we will welcome Jesus with joy and make our lives a gift of love and service.”

## First Sunday of Advent: “Change Our Hearts”

The first Sunday of Advent carries the theme “Change Our Hearts.” The appointed Scripture reading is Matthew 16:24:

“Then Jesus told his disciples, ‘If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself, take up his cross, and follow me.’”

Following the reading, we pray the “Change Our Hearts” prayer:

“O God, in this time leading up to the celebration of Jesus’ birth, teach us to go against the current, to strip away our selfishness, to be humble and giving, to listen and be silent, to go out of ourselves, granting space to your beauty, the source of true joy.”

*Advent invites us to strip away self‑interest, listen to God, and open our hearts so that we may receive Christ with joy at Christmas.*