Every Sacred Sunday Mass Journals

Adriana Wolf introduces a weekly Mass journal designed do deepen your spiritual life. The journal begins on November 29, 2026, the First Sunday of Advent.

Every Sacred Sunday Mass Journal

Published by Every Sacred Sunday

For many, January marks the beginning of a new year and the making of resolutions. With three January birthdays in our family, however, I have put off New Year's resolutions for many years. As my faith has grown and deepened, I have come to appreciate the Church's liturgical calendar, particularly Advent as the beginning of a new liturgical year and an opportunity for spiritual renewal.

Following the COVID lockdowns of 2020, I participated in the inaugural Bible in a Year podcast with Father Mike Schmitz in 2021. Through that experience, I came to recognize just how much I didn't know about Scripture, despite being a regular Massgoer who had listened to countless homilies and heard the readings proclaimed throughout the Church's three-year Sunday lectionary cycle. By the end of that year, I found myself wanting to better understand and appreciate the Sunday readings and how they spoke to my everyday life.

This coming Advent will mark my fifth year using the Every Sacred Sunday Mass Journal as a companion on my spiritual journey. It also marks the tenth year that Every Sacred Sunday has offered this beautiful resource to help the faithful prepare for and reflect on the readings for Sundays and Solemnities. Although I cannot recall how I first discovered the journal, it has become a meaningful part of my faith life, helping me quiet my mind, open my heart to God's voice in Scripture, and consider how He is calling me to live His Word.

My Bible remains central to my spiritual life. The journal has not replaced it but has encouraged me to return to Scripture with fresh eyes, more thoughtful questions, and a greater desire to recognize how God is speaking to me through His Word. The Mass Journal has become a companion that has helped me discover how God's Word continues to speak to me in different seasons of my life.

How This Journal Is Organized

Organized according to the seasons of the Church's liturgical calendar, the journal is beautiful in both word and design. It includes a Scripture verse to pray with throughout the year and, this year, an opportunity for an annual reflection. Each liturgical season begins with original artwork, an introduction, and an explanation of the season's colors, themes, scriptural focus, and notable dates. It helps us develop an appreciation for the rhythm of the liturgical year.

Within each season are the readings for Sundays and Solemnities, followed by space to record a Scripture passage that particularly resonates, prayers of thanksgiving, and personal prayer intentions. There is also room to reflect on the readings or the homily. One of my favorite features is the section titled "Go Forth," which invites us to consider where we can say yes to the Lord and how we might put the Gospel into practice. The original illustrations, connected by a common theme, offer another opportunity for prayer and contemplation.

Benefits of Using This Journal

Over the years, this journal has helped me become more attentive during Mass, deepen my understanding of Scripture, and recognize God's presence in the ordinary circumstances of my life. It has reminded me that developing a personal relationship with God requires more than simply knowing about Him. It requires listening, responding, and making room for Him in my daily life.

One of the unexpected gifts of using this journal has been discovering something new in Gospel passages I have heard countless times before. A reading that once seemed familiar can suddenly speak to a particular circumstance in my life or draw my attention to words I had previously overlooked. I have come to appreciate that although the words of Scripture remain unchanged, I do not. My experiences, struggles, and spiritual growth often allow me to hear those same words differently and recognize what God may be asking of me in that moment.

Perhaps that is why I have come to appreciate Advent as the beginning of a new year. Unlike the resolutions I have so often postponed in January, the start of a new liturgical year invites me to make a different kind of commitment. One of greater depth and purpose. It challenges me to listen more attentively to God's Word, to recognize His presence in my life, and, most importantly, to become more willing to be transformed by it. I know I will not always succeed, but each new liturgical year offers another opportunity to begin again.

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Copyright 2026 Adriana Wolf
Images: EverySacredSunday.com