Looking at the calendar, the year is growing closer toward its conclusion. We are in the midst of the ’ber months, and social media seems to celebrate crisp autumn days right alongside early Christmas decorating.

It’s one big, happy feast for the remainder of the calendar year.

But as Catholics, we follow a different timeline: a slower journey through the final weeks of the liturgical year.

The fall’s Ordinary Time is rich in meaning and tradition, with Saintly feast days and a trifecta of holy days: All Hallows’ Eve, All Saints’ Day, and All Souls’ Day. We conclude the liturgical year by honoring Christ the King, just before beginning our Advent contemplation of His divine plan to be born in humility and poverty in a lowly stable in Bethlehem.

The Catholic Church pauses for Advent while the world rushes to Christmas.

To avoid getting swept up, we are invited to slow down and notice what is unfolding in these final weeks of the liturgical year.

Five Saints for the Journey

Between now and Advent, let’s befriend five Saints who can teach us something about receiving Christ our King, both on His throne and in the manger.

Together, they invite us on a simple journey between now and Advent: friendship with Christ, humility, attentiveness, mercy, and finally invitation.

Saint Teresa of Ávila — October 15

Saint Teresa of Ávila is a natural beginning, because her feast is today. She was a sixteenth-century Spanish mystic who helped reform the Carmelite order, calling her sisters to a deeper life of prayer and contemplation.

She taught that true prayer is not a simple rote task, but a heart-to-heart friendship and loving conversation with Christ.

When this time of year pulls us in a multitude of directions, Saint Teresa can bring our attention back to Jesus. She reminds us that He is not merely a historical figure—or simply a baby in a manger—but the Living God Who desires a relationship with us.

Practice: Spend a few minutes each day simply being with Jesus—perhaps before the Blessed Sacrament or in a quiet space at home.

Ponder: Do I know Jesus as someone with Whom I am actually in relationship?

Saint Martin de Porres — November 3

As we grow in friendship with Christ, we learn to become more like Him: meek and humble of heart (see Matthew 11:28).

Saint Martin de Porres gives us a beautiful witness of this humility by joyfully performing menial tasks such as sweeping and caring for the sick at his Dominican monastery. His selflessness was so radical that, according to tradition, he even offered himself for sale into slavery to help pay his community’s debts.

Martin’s life shows us how Christian greatness looks very different from worldly greatness, especially as we approach the feast of Christ the King and remember that the King of Heaven and Earth chose to be born in the lowliest setting.

Practice: What chore do you do that goes unnoticed? Do it well each week between now and Advent, without expecting recognition—or anything else—in return.

Ponder: Where am I still trying to be important rather than simply being faithful?

Saint Elizabeth of the Trinity — November 8

Humility makes room in our hearts to receive Jesus in the present moment.

By mid-November, Advent is so close, but we can easily think of it simply as a waiting period for someone who isn’t here yet.

But the Christian life is already an encounter with the Living God.

Saint Elizabeth of the Trinity was a French Discalced Carmelite nun and mystic who lived from 1880 to 1906. Her spiritual writings centered on the profound mystery of the Holy Trinity dwelling within the human soul. For Elizabeth, this was not merely a theological truth, but a reality to live: God is present, and we can turn our attention to Him at any moment.

Her spirituality invites us to prepare for Advent not by trying to make God come closer, but by becoming more attentive to the God Who has already drawn near.

Practice: Several times a day, pause and pray something very simple: “God, I welcome You here.” Or use Saint Elizabeth’s own words: “O my God, Trinity whom I adore.”

Ponder: What would change if I went through my day conscious that God is with me?

Saint Elizabeth of Hungary — November 17

If Christ is truly present, our encounter with Him cannot keep us turned inward. Instead, it naturally helps us recognize Him in others—especially those who are suffering, forgotten, or in need.

Saint Elizabeth of Hungary was a thirteenth-century Hungarian princess who gave up her wealth to serve the poor and sick. After her husband died, she built a hospital in Germany and spent the remainder of her short life caring for those in need.

We celebrate her feast just a few days before Christ the King Sunday, and her life encourages us to consider whether we recognize our King in “the least of these” (see Matthew 25).

Practice: Give something away. Visit someone who is lonely. Volunteer at a soup kitchen. Choose one concrete act of mercy or generosity before Advent.

Ponder: Would I recognize Christ if He came to me in a form I wasn’t expecting?

Saint Andrew — November 30

The feast of Saint Andrew falls right at the threshold to Advent.

In the Gospel, when Andrew encounters Christ, he brings Peter, his brother, to meet Him (see John 1:40-42). It is a beautiful picture of evangelization: Andrew has encountered Someone worth knowing, and he cannot keep that encounter to himself.

And so Andrew brings our journey with these five Saints to its climax.

When we become friends with Christ, we grow in humility. We become more attentive to God’s presence and more able to recognize Him in those around us. The fullness of this encounter is meant to move us outward—to mission, to invitation, to sharing the Lord with others.

Practice: Think of one person you want to pray for especially throughout Advent.

Ponder: Whom might God be asking me to bring closer to Christ?

At the Threshold of Advent

As we move toward Advent and prepare to proclaim Christ as our King, let us ask these new Saintly friends to accompany us on our journey:

• Teresa, teach us to be with Christ.
• Martin, teach us to become small.
• Elizabeth of the Trinity, teach us to notice God.
• Elizabeth of Hungary, teach us to recognize Christ in the poor.
• Andrew, teach us to bring others to Him.

And so when we arrive at Advent, may we recognize the King Who comes to us.