Prepare Your Heart: A Guided Advent Journal for Prayer and Meditation

Join Fr. Agustino Torres, CFR―founder of Corazón Puro―on a multimedia Advent journey led by the saints and the Holy Family to prepare yourself to enter into the story of Christ’s birth through prayer, charity, and joyful acts of service to the needy.

Prepare Your Heart features stunning original art by Valerie Delgado of Pax.Valerie, along with daily meditations on a passage from scripture, reflection questions, prayer, and space for journaling and notetaking.

During each week of Advent, you will embark on a new path informed by Franciscan spirituality to guide you to becoming closer to God:

• Week One, the way of Nazareth: a spirituality that attunes you to the needs of others and the hidden presence of God.
• Week Two, the way of the saints: featuring Sts. Lucy, Nicholas, Juan Diego, and Our Lady of Guadalupe, whose feast days fall during Advent; they will teach you to live with intentionality, humility, and devotion.
• Week Three, the way of St. Joseph: revealing the creative courage of Jesus’s foster father, teaching you how he makes a home for each of us in the heart of God.
• Week Four, the way of Mary: a tutorial in learning how to say yes to God’s call for your life and trusting in his loving providence.

Prepare Your Heart is perfect for both individual and group use. Free companion videos; ideas for celebrating Sundays in Advent with family, friends, and small groups; and a downloadable leader’s guide are available at avemariapress.com.

The book, videos, leader’s guide, and family guide are available in Spanish as well.

Fr. Agustino Torres, CFR, is a priest with the Franciscan Friars of the Renewal and the founder of Corazón Puro and Latinos por la Vida. He also serves as a retreat guide, spiritual director, and an international youth and young adult speaker.

Torres earned a bachelor’s degree in art history from Seton Hall University, a bachelor’s degree in sacred theology from the University of St. Thomas Aquinas in Rome, and master’s degrees in divinity and theology from St. Joseph’s Seminary.

Torres hosts the EWTN TV shows ICONS and Clic con Corazon Puro (in both English and Spanish) He is a cofounder of Catholic Underground, an apostolate of the Friars of the Renewal. He also cofounded the Casa Guadalupe and JPII houses of discernment. Torres is a Hispanic content contributor to Formed, host of the National Eucharistic Revival podcast Revive,and posts a weekly reflection on Instagram. He is on the Board of Members of the National Institute for Ministry with Young Adults, the Archdiocese of New York’s Hispanic Advisory Board, and a member of the USCCB’s advisory board on youth and young adults.

Valerie Delgado is a Catholic painter, a digital artist, and the owner of Pax.Beloved. She illustrated the books Prepare Your Heart by Fr. Agustino Torres, CFR; Adore by Fr. John Burns; Restore by Sr. Miriam James Heidland, SOLT; and ABC Get to Know the Saints with Me by Caroline Perkins.

She lives in the Houston, Texas, area.