Just Teach Sheets – Teens December Week 1 2025

Teen Track – Just Teach Sheet

December Week 1 (2025)
Theme: Advent & Preparation
Focus: Waiting for Christ – Hope and Conversion
Audience: Teens (13–18) — Faith Formation / Confirmation

Weekly Goal

To help teens see Advent not as a countdown to Christmas, but as a spiritual season of hope and change.
Waiting for Christ means more than waiting for a day — it means preparing the heart, turning away from sin, and letting God reshape our lives in hope.

What You’ll Need

This sheet

A Bible

A quiet place for reflection

Optional: light a candle each evening as a sign of hope

Opening Prayer (Daily)

Lord Jesus,
I wait for You with hope.
Light my heart with Your truth,
forgive my sins,
and help me make room for You in my life.
Teach me to wait, to trust, and to live ready for Your coming.
Amen.

Day 1 – What Are We Waiting For?

Teaching:
Advent means “coming.” We remember Jesus’ first coming at Christmas and prepare for His second coming — when He will return in glory.
But we also welcome Him now — in prayer, in the Eucharist, and in daily life.

Romans 13:11–12 – “It is the hour now for you to awake from sleep… the night is far gone, the day is at hand.”

Reflection:
The world tells us to rush. Advent tells us to pause — to wake up spiritually, to live aware that Christ is near.

Ask yourself:

What fills most of my waiting — stress, distraction, or hope?

How can I make this Advent more prayerful?

Practice:
Set aside 5 minutes tonight for silence.
Say, “Come, Lord Jesus,” and listen.

Day 2 – Hope That Doesn’t Fade

Teaching:
Hope isn’t wishful thinking — it’s trusting that God is faithful even when life is hard.
Advent teaches that the world’s darkness can’t win.

Isaiah 9:2 – “The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light.”
CCC 1817: “Hope is the confident expectation of divine blessing.”

Reflection:
Hope changes how we live. It reminds us that even small acts of faith matter in a world that’s waiting for redemption.

Ask yourself:

Where do I most need hope right now?

Who around me needs to see the light of my faith?

Practice:
Do one act of encouragement — text, write, or call someone who needs hope.

Day 3 – Conversion: Making Room for Jesus

Teaching:
Advent calls for repentance — not guilt, but growth.
John the Baptist’s cry, “Prepare the way of the Lord,” means clearing away sin and selfishness to make space for God.

Luke 3:3–4 – “Prepare the way of the Lord; make His paths straight.”
CCC 1427: “Jesus calls to conversion. This call is an essential part of the proclamation of the Kingdom.”

Reflection:
Conversion isn’t about becoming “religious”; it’s about becoming real — turning from what destroys joy and walking toward love.

Ask yourself:

What in my life needs to change so Jesus can truly enter?

What’s one habit I could give up this Advent to grow closer to God?

Practice:
Make a quiet examination of conscience tonight. Ask Jesus to show you one thing to confess or to let go of.

Day 4 – Mary and the Art of Waiting

Teaching:
Mary’s whole life was Advent — she carried Christ within her and waited in faith.
She teaches us patience, trust, and prayer in silence.

Luke 1:38 – “Behold, I am the servant of the Lord; let it be to me according to Your word.”
CCC 2676: “Mary is the perfect Orans (pray-er), the figure of the Church.”

Reflection:
Mary’s “yes” changed the world — not through power, but through quiet surrender.
Real strength often looks like patience and trust.

Ask yourself:

Do I try to control life, or do I trust God’s timing?

How can Mary’s example shape my Advent?

Practice:
Pray one decade of the Rosary slowly, focusing on the Annunciation.

Day 5 – Jesus Comes Again

Teaching:
Advent reminds us that Jesus will return — not as a baby, but as King.
We live between His first coming and His second — and every day is a chance to grow ready for eternity.

Matthew 24:44 – “You must be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect.”
CCC 1040: “The Lord will come to judge the living and the dead.”

Reflection:
Living “ready” doesn’t mean fear — it means freedom.
When our hearts belong to Christ, His coming is not threat but joy.

Ask yourself:

If Jesus came today, would I be ready and glad to see Him?

What would I want to change first?

Practice:
End each day with a simple prayer:

“Lord, help me live ready for You — today and always.”

Weekend Wrap-Up – What We Learned

Advent means “coming” — Jesus came, comes now, and will come again.

Hope keeps us faithful when life feels dark.

Conversion means clearing the path for Jesus.

Mary shows us how to wait with love and trust.

We live ready, not in fear, but in joyful expectation.

Reflection prompts:

“Hope means to me…”

“If Jesus came today, I would…”

Journal Prompts

“This Advent, I’m giving up…”

“Mary teaches me to wait by…”

“I want Jesus to find me…”

Apologetics for Teens

“Why do Catholics ‘wait’ for Jesus if He’s already come?” → Because we live between His first and second coming — history’s story isn’t finished yet.

“Why focus on sin during Advent?” → Because real joy begins when our hearts are clean. Repentance makes room for peace.

“Why pray to Mary?” → We don’t pray to her instead of God; we ask her to help us say “yes” like she did.

“What’s the point of hope when the world seems broken?” → Hope isn’t pretending everything’s fine; it’s trusting that Christ is greater than every darkness.

Catechism Extension

CCC 522–524 – Christ’s coming prepared by the prophets.

CCC 1040–1041 – The Last Judgment and hope.

CCC 1427–1429 – Conversion and repentance.

Further Reading

YouCat Questions 80–86 – Advent and Christ’s coming.

Jesus of Nazareth: The Infancy Narratives – Benedict XVI.

The Reed of God – Caryll Houselander.

Advent of the Heart – Alfred Delp, SJ.

Closing Prayer

Come, Lord Jesus!
Wake me from laziness and fear.
Teach me to hope, to change, and to love.
Fill my Advent with peace,
and help me prepare my heart for You.
Amen.