St. Augustine underlined the supreme value of a prayer which is brief and from the heart. It is a prayer of desire as much as of word; he likens this kind of prayer to a dart speedily released to God. It is with this kind of prayer in mind that this Advent blog has been created. It will begin on the first day of Advent and will consist of a reading of a small part of each liturgical Advent day. For some, these few lines recall what they had already heard for that day; for others, it is an opportunity to travel Advent as the Church suggests it be done. The reason for an Old Testament text is that Advent is the season which longs for the coming of Him who is the completion of all hopes and promises and covenants. Letting ourselves enter into the depths of hope and love, we will better prepare for the celebration of the arrival of God for us. At the end of each day’s page, there is a short prayer of desire. Finally, in the last Advent days we will include on this page the famous O-Antiphons, a centuries-old cry for the coming of Jesus. We begin on November 30, day 1 of Advent. John Kilgallen, SJ