Walking with the saints
St. Andrew novena heralds Christmas season

By MaryBeth Eberhard

One thing I love about my Catholic faith is its richness. There are always opportunities to grow in my relationship with the Lord. 

When I was younger, it was the church choir. As a young adult and newly married, fellowship and small Christian groups were instrumental in growing my faith. When I became a mother, Mommy and Me playgroups kept me surrounded by holy women. Now, as my children grow, Bible studies, prayer groups and book studies provide companionship on my faith journey. 
These opportunities are all incredible, but I desire to delve more deeply into prayer, and so I have been going back to older traditions in the church and bringing them into my family. 

When my older children were just toddlers, I came across the beauty of the St. Andrew Christmas Novena. An incredibly moving and lyrical prayer, its beauty transports us back to the time of the Nativity. We stand quietly outside the stable in the starlit night. The chill of the air is upon our skin, and we are united with the Holy Family in this most sacred moment: 

Hail and Blessed be the moment and hour in which the son of God was born, of the most pure Virgin Mary, at midnight in Bethlehem in piercing cold. In that hour, vouchsafe O my God, to hear my prayers and grant my desires (mention your intentions here) through the merits of Our Savior, Jesus Christ, and of His Blessed Mother.

I know what you are thinking: Christmas novena? I haven’t even bought my Thanksgiving turkey! Stay with me because there is more to this novena than just a request or repetition.
This prayer has a way of leading you along the path walking with the Blessed Mother and St. Joseph to Bethlehem. It prepares your heart for the birth of the Lord in a quiet and meditative way that allows you to contemplatively enter into the Advent season. Many nights have I prayed it quietly, looking out my window, watching the snow fall and feeling the “piercing cold” as I walked to Bethlehem in my prayers. 

As we draw closer to Thanksgiving, consider printing your own copy of this prayer and placing it on the table or making prayer cards for family members.

St. Andrew’s feast day is celebrated Nov. 30, which is when we begin this novena. It is commonly called the Christmas Anticipation Novena, as it is prayed up until Christmas Day. It is a lovely tradition to bring into your home.  

There are days we pray this at mealtime around our family table and evenings when its soothing cadence rocks young souls to sleep as my husband and I sit upon the landing at the top of the stairs and pray. Don’t let yourself get caught up in the number of times you pray, but rather the time you enter into the mysteries of the Incarnation through the Nativity of our Lord.

St. Andrew was a fisherman alongside his brother, St. Peter. Andrew was the first disciple called by our Lord. His feast day is at the beginning of the new liturgical year. St. Andrew was crucified on an X-shaped cross, and tradition has it that he continued preaching the gospel for two days after he was hung on the cross. He is the patron saint of fishermen and singers.