How to Use This Advent Devotional
Use this devotional for ten minutes a day, at the same time every day. Morning is best, because the question then goes with you into the day.
- Pray one line. "Come, Lord Jesus" (Revelation 22:20) is the oldest Advent prayer there is.
- Read the day's Gospel slowly, once. The reference for every day is in the calendar below. The full text is free from the USCCB daily readings page or any Catholic Bible.
- Sit with the question for two or three minutes. Let one word or image stay with you.
- Choose one act. A call you have been avoiding, a kindness at work, five minutes of silence at lunch.
- Close with the Our Father.
For when Advent starts, what the season means and how the Church keeps it, see our full guide to Advent 2026: dates and meaning. This page is the daily devotional to pray with.
Advent 2026 Day by Day: The Gospel and a Question for Each Day
Below are the Gospel readings for each day of Advent 2026 in the Roman calendar used in the United States, with one question for each day. Saints' memorials keep the Advent weekday readings; feasts and solemnities have their own. Your diocese or country may differ on a few days, so check your parish missalette or the USCCB readings if you need certainty.
| Date | Day | Gospel | Pray with this question |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sun 29 Nov | 1st Sunday of Advent | Mark 13:33-37 | If Christ came tonight, what would he find me doing? |
| Mon 30 Nov | St. Andrew, Apostle | Matthew 4:18-22 | What net do I need to leave on the shore? |
| Tue 1 Dec | Advent weekday | Luke 10:21-24 | Where have I been too clever to see what God is showing the childlike? |
| Wed 2 Dec | Advent weekday | Matthew 15:29-37 | What little do I have that Jesus could multiply if I handed it over? |
| Thu 3 Dec | St. Francis Xavier | Matthew 7:21, 24-27 | Which part of my life is built on sand? |
| Fri 4 Dec | Advent weekday | Matthew 9:27-31 | Do I believe Jesus can do what I am asking? |
| Sat 5 Dec | Advent weekday | Matthew 9:35-10:1, 5a, 6-8 | Who near me is "troubled and abandoned, like sheep without a shepherd"? |
| Sun 6 Dec | 2nd Sunday of Advent | Mark 1:1-8 | What needs to be made straight before Christmas? |
| Mon 7 Dec | St. Ambrose | Luke 5:17-26 | Whom can I carry to Jesus this week? |
| Tue 8 Dec | Immaculate Conception (holy day of obligation in the US) | Luke 1:26-38 | What would it cost me to say "May it be done to me according to your word"? |
| Wed 9 Dec | Advent weekday | Matthew 11:28-30 | What burden have I refused to give him? |
| Thu 10 Dec | Advent weekday | Matthew 11:11-15 | How do I make room for the kingdom, even when it is costly? |
| Fri 11 Dec | Advent weekday | Matthew 11:16-19 | When have I refused God because he did not come the way I wanted? |
| Sat 12 Dec | Our Lady of Guadalupe | Luke 1:26-38 or Luke 1:39-47 | Where is Mary hurrying to meet me? |
| Sun 13 Dec | 3rd Sunday of Advent (Gaudete) | John 1:6-8, 19-28 | How can I point to Christ instead of myself? |
| Mon 14 Dec | St. John of the Cross | Matthew 21:23-27 | What question am I avoiding because the honest answer would change me? |
| Tue 15 Dec | Advent weekday | Matthew 21:28-32 | What have I said yes to and not done? |
| Wed 16 Dec | Advent weekday | Luke 7:18b-23 | Where am I asking, "Are you the one, or should we look for another?" |
| Thu 17 Dec | O Antiphons begin | Matthew 1:1-17 | Which broken part of my family history can God still use? |
| Fri 18 Dec | Late Advent weekday | Matthew 1:18-25 | Like Joseph, what plan do I need to let God rewrite? |
| Sat 19 Dec | Late Advent weekday | Luke 1:5-25 | Where has my faith gone silent like Zechariah's? |
| Sun 20 Dec | 4th Sunday of Advent | Luke 1:26-38 | What is God asking of me that seems impossible? |
| Mon 21 Dec | Late Advent weekday | Luke 1:39-45 | Who needs a visit from me before Christmas? |
| Tue 22 Dec | Late Advent weekday | Luke 1:46-56 | What great thing has God done for me this year? |
| Wed 23 Dec | Late Advent weekday | Luke 1:57-66 | What name, or promise, is God asking me to hold on to? |
| Thu 24 Dec | Christmas Eve (morning Mass) | Luke 1:67-79 | Where do I need "the daybreak from on high" to break tonight? |
Gospel references follow the Lectionary for Mass used in the United States: the Sunday cycle is Year B, and from 17 December the late Advent readings are fixed to the date. Christmas Day is Friday 25 December 2026.
The Four Weeks of Advent 2026 in Brief
Week 1 (29 November to 5 December): stay awake
The First Sunday's Gospel gives one command: be watchful, be alert. The week's readings show Jesus healing, feeding and teaching, a preview of what his coming means. Use this week to set your daily time and keep it.
Week 2 (6 to 12 December): prepare the way
John the Baptist appears in the desert calling for repentance. This is the week for confession, before parish penance services fill up. The Immaculate Conception on Tuesday 8 December is a holy day of obligation in the United States.
Week 3 (13 to 19 December): rejoice
Gaudete Sunday's rose vestments mark the halfway point. From 17 December the readings turn to the events right before the birth of Christ: the genealogy, Joseph's dream, the angel's message to Zechariah. The O Antiphons begin at Evening Prayer on 17 December.
Week 4 (20 to 24 December): Mary's yes
The Fourth Sunday falls on 20 December, so the last week is only five days long. Pray with Mary: the Annunciation, the Visitation, the Magnificat. Keep the evening of 24 December quiet.
Popular Catholic Advent Devotionals for 2026, Compared
If you want a published devotional in addition to the free calendar above, these are the widely used Catholic options, with details from each publisher as of November 2026.
| Devotional | Format | Cost | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Best Advent Ever (Dynamic Catholic) | Daily email video from Matthew Kelly, under 10 minutes, from 29 November | Free; optional books | A short daily video |
| Advent Gospel Reflections 2026 (Word on Fire) | 128-page printed booklet: daily Gospel, Bishop Barron's reflection, journaling space | Paid booklet | Paper and pen, families and parish groups |
| Hallow Pray25 | Daily audio challenge in the Hallow app | Requires Hallow's paid plan ($69.99/year or $9.99/month in the US) | Audio with a large community |
| Magnificat | Monthly devotional with daily Mass texts and prayer | Digital $24/year; paper and digital $52/year | Praying with the daily Mass texts |
| This page | Daily Gospel reference and question, 26 days | Free | A simple daily Gospel habit |
Dynamic Catholic says its 2026 program runs 21 days on Matthew Kelly's book The Content Diet, then a five-day Christmas Week Retreat on The Practice of the Presence of God from 20 December, and that buying the books is optional. Word on Fire released its 2026 booklet on 5 October and notes that seasonal titles are final sale. Hallow lists Pray25 among the features that need a paid subscription.
Details from dynamiccatholic.com, bookstore.wordonfire.org, help.hallow.com and us.magnificat.net, checked November 2026.
Make Advent 2026 the one you keep
A list of readings gets you started. Pro keeps you going through all 26 days: daily audio devotionals with calming music for the drive to work, audio-guided prayer sessions for the nights your mind is racing, in-depth Bible studies when you want to go deeper into the Gospels, worship playlists for the house, offline access for the trip home for Christmas, and a circle of believers to pray with. Hallow's Pray25 needs a $69.99 yearly subscription. Pro is $49 once, and it stays yours after Christmas. Why so cheap? It is all digital, made once and shared with every member. We are rooting for you.
Start Advent with Pro, $49 One-time payment. No subscription, no renewal. 30-day money-back guarantee.An Advent Devotional for Families
Families can pray this devotional at dinner in five minutes. Light the Advent wreath, have one child read the day's Gospel (choose a few verses for small children), ask the question in simple words, and let everyone answer in one sentence. End with a Hail Mary.
- For young children: ask "What did Jesus do today?" and "Who can we be kind to tomorrow?"
- For teens: let them pick the question and lead. Ask what in the Gospel annoyed or surprised them.
- For couples: pray the question together after the children are in bed, and pray for each other by name.
If You Fall Behind
Most people miss a day in Advent. Do not try to catch up on five Gospels in one sitting. Read today's, and keep going. The point of the season is readiness now, and the grace of a single faithful day is real.
If you started Advent late, begin with today's date in the calendar. Even the last week, 20 to 24 December, carries the whole story: Mary's yes, her visit to Elizabeth, the Magnificat, the birth of John the Baptist, and Zechariah's song of the dawn.
A Short Prayer for Each Morning of Advent
Lord Jesus, you came once in humility, you come to me today in your Word and your sacraments, and you will come again in glory.
Wake me up. Clear the clutter from my heart. Show me one thing to change today and give me the courage to change it.
Mary, you said yes when you did not understand. Help me say yes today. Come, Lord Jesus. Amen.
"Be watchful! Be alert! You do not know when the time will come."
Mark 13:33