Fr. John Burns wraps up our look at the Advent themes in Adore by explaining that his goal in writing the book was to help readers more deeply appreciate Christmas by getting to know the ways Emmanuel comes into our hearts and changes our lives.

Ave Explores

Emmanuel and Christmas with Fr. John Burns

Sr. Miriam James Heidland, SOLT, explains that drawing near to Jesus during Advent provides peace and comfort in times of sorrow and distress, and offers us a glimpse of the Lord's goodness which comes with the joy of Christmas day.

Nearness with Sr. Miriam James Heidland, SOLT

Heather Khym, cohost of the Abiding Together podcast, helps us understand what preparedness really means during Advent: creating a heart that accepts God's promises long after the season.

Heather Khym and Preparedness During Advent

Sarah Swafford says it is important to slow down and embrace peacefulness and simplicity as we enter Advent. Reflecting on watchfulness—the first of the four weekly themes in Adore—Swafford said she has learned to do less so that she can watch for ways the Lord might surprise us during the season.

Sarah Swafford Reflects on the Advent theme of Watchfulness

Paul Jarzembowski, assistant director of youth and young adult ministries at the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, discusses {Evangelii Gaudium}, Pope Francis's Apostolic Exhortation on evangelization. Jarzembowski explains how accompaniment and encounter are the key elements of evangelization.

Accompaniment as the Model of Evangelization with Paul Jarzembowski

Jonathan Blevins, founder and CEO of Little Flower Media, discusses his switch from sharing the faith through parish ministry to evangelizing with gaming on the streaming platform Twitch. By embracing gamers and hosting conversations about faith online, Blevins has opened up a new area of evangelization for the Church.

Finding the Good in Gaming with Jon Blevins

Scott Boyle, associate director of recruitment and formation for the Notre Dame Echo and Notre Dame Vision programs, discusses how these week-long summer camps at the University of Notre Dame are life-changing experiences for thousands of young people who have learned to share their faith through authentic storytelling and witness.

Sharing Authentic Stories of Faith with Scott Boyle

Chris Padgett, internationally known Catholic speaker and author, discusses how evangelization begins and ends with an authentic witness to the ways Jesus has changed your life. He says stories and humor are especially important when trying to help people encounter the Lord.

Authentic and Real Evangelization with Chris Padgett

Fr. Blake Britton, a priest in the diocese of Orlando, says that you can begin evangelization at home by immersing your family in the Church's sacramental and liturgical life. He recommends examples such as praying the Liturgy of the Hours or making daily Mass a priority.

The Sacraments as the Source of Sharing with Fr. Blake Britton

Gloria Purvis, host of The Gloria Purvis Podcast from America Media, believes that evangelization must be rooted in your personal prayer life. With stories from her life and from her professional experiences as a radio host and internationally known Catholic speaker, Purvis uses examples from her own life and work to explain how tackling tough topics with others should be done with charity and conviction.

Prayer as the Source of Evangelization with Gloria Purvis

Mallory Smyth discusses how understanding our gifts and paying attention to how the Holy Spirit calls us to use them is the first step in sharing the faith. She also shares how her reversion to Catholicism and her work in various ministries has shown her that we are all called to uniquely give witness to Jesus.

Understanding Your Charisms and Gifts with Mallory Smyth

Shannon Schmidt, a pastoral associate in the Archdiocese of Indianapolis, discusses how working in parish ministry has taught her the value of listening and meeting people where they are in order to provide them with what they need.

Learning to Listen with Shannon Schmidt

Marcel LeJeune, founder of Catholic Missionary Disciples, says forming authentic and honest relationships is the key to sharing the faith with others. He explains that evangelization is not a program to fix people.

Evangelization Begins with Relationships with Marcel LeJeune

Alex Jones discusses the founding of Hallow--a Catholic prayer and meditation app--which came from his desire to read and meditate more on scripture. Scripture is a key component of the app, including audio recordings of books of the Bible, Gospel challenges, and scripture-based sleep stories. Jones said thousands of users have developed a habit of reading the Bible because of Hallow.

How to Help People Listen to the Bible with Alex Jones of Hallow

Jeff Cavins, biblical scholar and a contributor to _The Bible in a Year _podcast, says that the book of Revelation is often misinterpreted as predicting the future. Instead, Revelation reveals that Heaven is a Mass and we are all invited to it.

The Book of Revelation with Jeff Cavins

A project of Ave Maria Press, Ave Explores helps you discover and learn about aspects of the Catholic faith from a variety of different angles, looking at topics relevant to the spiritual life in a fresh, engaging, and practical way.