¡Alégrate! Meditaciones de Adviento con María, Diario

My wife and I just completed this beautiful book. This was a great way to truly connect with the Advent season and allow yourself to feel its true meaning while preparing you for the birth of Christ. I am by no means a perfect Catholic, and I struggle just like anyone else, but this book helped me to step away from my stress and reconnect and alignment myself to being open to a true relationship with God.

This book has taken me through so many highs and lows this Advent, I’ve never done a seasonal reading like this before and I’ve tried a few. I dedicated myself to Mary this past year and it couldn’t have been a more perfect solidifier for Christmas.

This book was thought-provoking, deepening, and spiritually fulfilling. I especially loved having scripture readings that weren’t overwhelmingly long and the journaling was helpful even when I didn’t feel like writing anything it still proved useful. The scenes it prepares for your mindset throughout the Advent journey are perfect for each new week, from Nazareth to Judea to the journey and finally to Bethlehem.

I’m so excited to do the one with Joseph next year!!

So touching and loved the videos. Great for anyone!!

My friend was dying in hospice, and I used this journal to walk through her cancer journey with her. It was very amazingly appropriate for what she was going through. I especially liked the concept of waiting WITH God instead of waiting FOR God. The only suggestion for improvement would be to use different psalms. Sometimes they were the same psalm from a previous lesson. My friend had many of the psalms from the lessons memorized. I hope she held them in her heart until the day she died on Jan 21.

I enjoyed this book so much! I was so excited to purchase it and I personally bought 10 books and shared half of them with family and I got a friend from out of state to buy 10 for her and her friends! I'm so glad I found this book to share with others! And I hope everyone who knows about it will continue to share it with others!

Fr Mark really wants each individual to be drawn in to their very own reflection. Having prayed through Oremus and being on pilgrimage with Fr Mark for spiritual direction, I knew I wanted to pray with Rejoice this Advent. My relationship with Our Blessed Mother has certainly grown deeper and Advent more meaningful, leading to a deeper love of Infant Jesus and a deeper surrender to Jesus on the Cross because of Mary's surrender in her very own life. This prayer journal was a real gift that I really wanted to continue on. Thank you for such a gift.

I truly loved walking with Mary throughout Advent. It was so beautiful seeing how my life parallels hers. Reading this book made me able to say with more certainty, “Be it done unto me according to your word.”
On Christmas Eve at Mass I rejoiced in Jesus birth with the overwhelming joy I felt at the birth of my firstborn 46 years ago. Plus I recognized that that was the joy I should be aware of each time I receive Jesus in Holy Communion. I am so thankful for being blessed by this experience.

We used it as group study in the parish. Participants said they gained insights and profited spiritually from the activities. It would have been helpful to have longer weekly videos, comparable to the introductory video, to help us get into the theme of each week.

Fr. Mark Toups has a great gift. I knew after Oremus I would chose to get anything he was involved in. I especially loved reading the Old Testament and knowing Mary would have been using these same Scriptures. Thanks for bringing Mary and Jesus to us in person.

Fr. Mark Toups has a great gift. I knew after Oremus I would chose to get anything he was involved in. I especially loved reading the Old Testament and knowing Mary would have been using these same Scriptures. Thanks for bringing Mary and Jesus to us in person.

I’ve always struggled to balance the busy craziness of the advent season with wanting to contemplate the real reason for preparing for Christmas. Rejoice! Advent Meditations with Mary helped me to slow down, find a quiet time and walked me through each day of advent giving me a theme to reflect on with Mary. This book was so inspiring to me and very well done. I hope they write another one for next Advent!!

What an amazing celebration of Mary's journey to Bethlehem. My Bible study group have been reading and meeting weekly to share our thoughts of Mary, Joseph and Jesus' birth. How close we have come to Mary, the mother of God, as we have shared this little slice of her incredible life. Thank you Ascension!!

Reflections are great, insightful and concrete. The question at the end and the exercises suggested help you to make the journey personal and pertinent to your life. I liked the reference to other Scripture passages too. I wish I had it before Advent started so I could have recommended it to more people.

This Rejoice Advent journal is so amazing, beautiful, and life changing. It takes you through the physical, spiritual, and emotional journey of Mary in the days leading up to Jesus’ birth. Very well done an act of Yhe Holy Spirit and some very good people that said yes😊

I purchased 12 copies of the Rejoice Advent journal for family and friends this Advent! It has been such a blessing to all of us! On any given day we have shared our thoughts and insights on how a particular "word of the day" has spoken to us or given us cause for reflection!
What I appreciated the most about it is how user-friendly it was. It didn't defeat me in the first week! In other words I didn't quit from exhaustion or from it being too academic. I was able to stick with it and experience spiritual growth.
Again, what a blessing this journal has been for our Advent journey with Mary!
May your Christmas celebration be merry and your New Year be blessed!
Peace in Christ,
Linda

When I first saw Rejoice via an email, I did not want to purchase the journal since I already have other books for my Advent meditations; what a mistake that would have been! I was preparing to renew my Marian Consecration on December 8th and I truly believe the Blessed Mother led me to participate in Rejoice this year. On many days, I felt that the reflections and Scripture readings were written just for me and my state in life. To read and meditate on the same Scriptures that the Mother of God was praying is a source of great peace. Despite all else, I believe I will truly be able to REJOICE on Christmas this year and hope to ponder how and why that feeling entered my life during the entire Christmas season. I hope to be able to prepare for Christmas next year in the same way. Thank you for bringing

I love the concise wording and meditation aspect of the journal. Pairing it with the Bible readings really solidified the theme for me.

I hope one is available for Lent too.

I have enjoyed this Advent meditation "Rejoice" very much. It has helped me grow closer to Jesus through his Mother, Mary. Each day has given me something new to "chew" on and imitate in my spiritual journey. I love Mary so much and want to grow to be more like her in her empting of herself to the Father, her total reliance upon His care, that Joseph wouldn't leave her, that the community would not stone her, that her parents would understand, her "waiting" with the Father rather than "on" the Father. I am amazed that a fourteen year old girl had the scriptural wisdom Mary possessed to understand the prophesy's that were coming alive in her life. Thank you Fr. Tours and Sr. Miriam, and Fr. Josh for the weekly videos and for this gift to me for my Advent waiting with God for Emanuel. Merry (Mary) Christmas! In Christ.

I got a book for both my husband and me and it is a great way to take some time after the busyness of the day to reflect on the Advent season. We love walking through Advent with Mary and it gives us a totally different perspective on the coming of Christ, especially since we are expecting a little one of our own. Would recommend everyone to read this, even outside of the Advent season. It helps us wait well!

Father Toups must have a direct line to Heaven. I have never meditated so deeply and understood so fully before as I have now following these meditations with Mary. Other than a short request or 'thank you,' I never composed my own intimate prayer before reading "Rejoice!"
I was away, so I didn't start "Rejoice!" until the second week of Advent. However, It was easy to catch up, because each day's reflection is short, but right to the point. If you haven't started yet, please do so, even if Advent is over. You will be very happy you did. I am sure I will refer back to "Rejoice!" throughout the year.
Thank you Lord for Father Toups and Ascension Press.

The Rejoice Advent Reflections with Mary have been a wonderful way to reframe the busy-ness of the season, the unpredictability of this time of year, the ways in which our plans are frequently changed by circumstances in our lives. When normally I would become grumpy, frustrated, disappointed, even depressed because things weren't going as planned, the journal has helped me to see God in all of it. I purchased 10 copies and gifted 9 of them to good friends. I am anxious to hear from them how the journal has affected their advent experiences.

I gave this to other women and young women in my youth group and I have to say I am growing closer to the Holy Family and their struggles. It is giving me a tangible way to empty myself and allow my Lord to use my sufferings to make me better. Even if you do this outside of Advent it is worth it.

I am grateful I was able to share this journal with family and friends. Each day's reading has helped me stay focused on the true meaning of Advent: His birth and the return of our King, as we prepare, not only for gift exchanges and feasts, but the True meaning of Christmas: the birth of our King. And it is such a blessing knowing my loved ones have the same opportunity to use this journal. It has brought me peace of mind. Sharing it with others has deepened our relationship and brought us closer to God.

Rejoice! has been a wonderful opportunity to journey through the season of Advent at Mary's side, experiencing her absolute trust in God. Fr. Mark has created a series of meditations that are easy to read while, at the same time, being thought provoking. I appreciate the care he put into choosing Psalms that support and expand upon the daily reflections. And the short weekly videos are a great way to start each week. Fr. Josh's message, in particular, spoke directly to my heart.
The reason for four stars rather than five is that there have been some days that left me without "stirrings in my heart" or seemed repetitive. Even with that rating, I too would be grateful to see a similar type of meditations experience for Lent.
I've two recommendations to share for anyway who is just starting or considering Rejoice! The first is to do the journaling. That exercise is what brings depth to the meditations and makes them personal. The second is to get at least one other person to share this experience with. It's helps with holding each other accountable, the discussions are enlightening, and your relationship will deepen.
One last thing, the quality of the actual book is excellent. The art work is lovely. The design incorporates the daily sections so they are easy to follow and visually appealing. And the book just feels good in your hand.

I received an email regarding this study/book. The art work caught my eye and I was drawn in. Each ADVENT I give the members of my Come, Lord Jesus! Group a book of ADVENT mediatations to do at home. After receiving the REJOICE ! book ,reading the introduction and seeing the introductory video, I thought it would be something we could do together as a group. We voted to do it together. WHAT A GREAT DECISION! During our discussion today, everyone said how much they have enjoyed THIS study. It made Mary SO REAL! All of the Psalms we read helped to “ flesh out” Mary-what influenced her. We ALL AGREED that it has taught us the difference between waiting WITH God as opposed to waiting FOR God , and how critical that is. The videos have been so relatable and so helpful. Thank you for making this wonderful study available to us! It has been such a gift of quiet waiting during this noisy, chaotic time of year. Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!

This was an excellent addition to Advent reading and reflections!

I bought several of these books for my daughters and I. We have been doing the readings daily and I have found them to be very inspiring. They definitely give me some new perspectives on what it was like for the Blessed Mother while waiting for Jesus to be born.

I would recommend this retreat to anyone who wants to get closer to Mary.