Advent Reflections (A Repost)

Advent is a time of waiting, but what kind of waiting? Not a distracted, impatient waiting but an attentive, hopeful and joyful one. While it is true that the Gospel reading (Mt 24:37-44) talks of deluge and destruction and other related images, it does so only to call us to “pay attention,” to be vigilant, in order to be ready when the Son of Man comes.



All the situations presented in the reading refer to the daily routine of life – eating, drinking, marrying, reproducing, working, etc. They are no different from the tasks, big and small, that we carry out here and now. The invitation though is not that we stop doing these things but to give our lives a quality of “presence,” of “conscious attention,” that amidst all these, we can try to sense the presence of Someone who is about to come (or more exactly, Someone special who is already here!) right within the trivialities of our daily lives.


Hence, in this first week of Advent, we can “spice up” our routinary lives by practicing “presence” which concretely means “listening, being attentive, waiting in prayer, silence.”


For me, this also means “being led” because the truth is, we are not only the one waiting or searching. It is the Lord who is actually waiting for us, knocking at the doors of our hearts all the time and asking us to pay attention to his presence. It is enough for us to say, "here I am, Lord; lead me..."


The prayer-poem-music that accompanies me in this practice of presence is Blessed John Henry Newman’s “Lead Kindly Light,” one of my favorite prayer-song since the time of my novitiate. Let me share with you the text here.

Lead, kindly Light, amid th’encircling gloom, lead Thou me on!
The night is dark, and I am far from home; lead Thou me on!
Keep Thou my feet; I do not ask to see
The distant scene; one step enough for me.

I was not ever thus, nor prayed that Thou shouldst lead me on;
I loved to choose and see my path; but now lead Thou me on!
I loved the garish day, and, spite of fears,
Pride ruled my will. Remember not past years!

So long Thy power hath blest me, sure it still will lead me on.
O’er moor and fen, o’er crag and torrent, till the night is gone,
And with the morn those angel faces smile, which I
Have loved long since, and lost awhile!

Meantime, along the narrow rugged path, Thyself hast trod,
Lead, Savior, lead me home in childlike faith, home to my God.
To rest forever after earthly strife
In the calm light of everlasting life.


My favorite musical arrangement of the poem is the one of John B. Dykes, entitled Lux Benigna. Let me sing it to you here, with the hope that this may become the song of your heart this Advent as you await our Lord’s coming.

Sr Gemma

Advent Reflections (A Repost)

“Everything that was written long ago in the scriptures was meant to teach us something about hope, from the examples scripture gives of how people who did not give up were helped by God.” (Rom: 15:4)

The above excerpt is from the second reading on the second Sunday of Advent. It reminds us that waiting in expectant hope is the central theme of the Advent season. St Paul reminds us that there are examples in the scriptures of people who never gave up hope and can thus serve as an inspiration to us in our Christian journey.

One such example is the prophet Isaiah who is a key figure during Advent. This prophet was writing over 500 years before the coming of Christ. When Babylon invaded Israel, destroyed the Jerusalem and razed the Temple Isaiah hastily gathered fragments of scripture of the earlier part of the book of Isaiah, and brought them with him as the people were taken off into exile to Babylon. Throughout the exile Isaiah encouraged the exiled Israelites, reminding them of the promises of God, reassuring them that one day they would return, and helping them to keep hope alive. Isaiah’s trust was not misplaced; when Cyrus invaded Babylon the Persians freed the Israelites to return to their homeland.

In our own time too, there are ‘examples of people who did not give up hope’ and ‘who serve to teach us something about hope’.

Ingrid Betancourt was born in Colombia and raised in France. As an adult she gave up a life of comfort to return to Colombia to try to better the lives of the people there. In 2002 she was campaigning as a presidential candidate when she was taken captive by the FARC rebels and held as a hostage for the next six and a half years. Her time as a captive in the Jungle was one of terrible mistreatment, of cruelty, imprisonment, isolation, often chained by the neck, day and night. She has written her story in a book called ‘Even Silence has an End’. In this story of great courage she says that the ultimate freedom can never be taken from us – the freedom to choose the kind of person we want to be. She described how reading the Bible allowed her to enter a state of deep meditation and inner peace. The Bible became her trusted companion; what was written there forced her to stop avoiding her true self; she experience the written word as a living voice speaking directly to her. It was thus that she remained strong, waiting in expectant hope for the day of her release.

Aung San Suu Kyi has spent 15 of the last 21 years under house arrest in Burma which is one of the poorest countries in the world where one third of the children are malnourished. Suu Kyi is part of a pro-democracy movement campaigning for human rights under a military dictatorship. On her release, just a few weeks ago she showed no sign of bitterness; asked about all she had suffered she simply said, ‘I don’t feel I have suffered greatly – many others have suffered more’. She says she wishes those who imprisoned her no ill. A man who has also campaigned for democracy in Burma says her words are ‘like raindrops promising new life in the monsoon season’, he said his heart was once again filled with joy and expectation and now he can hope and pray again.

This Advent season is a really difficult time for many people in Ireland. Many households are genuinely struggling to make ends meet. The temptation to despair is not far away.

Advent is a call to wait in hopeful expectation. It is a time for recognising that the most important things can never be taken from us, our spirit, our hope, our optimism, our sense of community and care for each other.


Eamonn

Advent Reflections (A Repost)

Waking up to hope!

This is the last week of Advent – last Sunday night I lit the last of the four candles which I have placed in the coffee table in my home. Bound together in pretty ribbons and greenery, they have become an icon, a prayer, and a constant reminder of Advent in this great season of preparation. On a purely personal level, Advent helps me to feel good, and it slows me down.

At the same time, today is a day when the news speaks about bank investigations, about drug fuelled lives, about the havoc this ‘unprofessional’ weather is causing and costing. There’s an ennui, a bored weariness, in how we tell one more story of what’s not working.

This year, our economic reality has really challenged my celebration of Advent – insisting, as it does, that pretty decorations and gentle reflections don’t cut it when the chips are down! So, what can Advent mean to me in 2010? In this reality, this place, this time?

Well, at the start of Advent this year, I was struck by an article in the Irish Times (Breda O'Brien, 27/11/10). It read: "Every day someone else tells me they have stopped listening to the radio, or reading newspapers, because it is all too depressing. In one way it is understandable. ... But declaring it all to be TMI (too much information) is to fall prey to some serious delusions ... We are a country that has had more than a grudging approval of people who bend the system to suit themselves. That has to stop. ... It is important this ... is a rejection of that kind of culture and not just impotent rage because we are facing a decade or more of austerity". I found this echoed in an Advent reading "It is full time now for you to wake from sleep. For salvation is nearer to us now than when we first believed; the night is far gone, the day is at hand." (Romans 13 – from the first Sunday of Advent).

I was struck by how I had fallen asleep. Fallen asleep in my faith, in my citizenship, in my family and in life generally. Life is undoubtedly not as easy this year, and I was struck by how much energy I was putting into me (poor me!) and into complaining about this. And I realised how little energy that left for hope & God, for family & life. It seemed like I was becoming more comfortable with darkness than with light.

So, Advent came at a good time for me this year. I needed to step away from the gossip, the complaining and the weariness that I had begun to feel was normal. I needed to be still, to pray and to re-connect with the Good News of faith, hope and love that this season of Advent offers us. I needed to journey with the prophets, with Mary and with my church in preparation for Christmas. This Advent, I have tried to not wait in brittle hope of the I.M.F., but rather to wait in confident hope of God’s grace.

The base of an ancient baptismal font -
In the ruins of Portumna 13th century Cistercian Abbey

Today is the shortest day of the year. This morning we left for work in almost total darkness, and tomorrow we awake in what seems to be the same dark world. But, in truth, tomorrow is fundamentally different. We have crossed the winter solstice, and we are faced towards Spring and towards sunshine. Tomorrow, the first light we see will be the light after the longest dark night - an annual light proclaiming that darkness is always overcome.

What Advent means to me is this year is ‘wake up call’ .... an invitation to stand up and face the Son. Christmas is coming, wake up, be glad .... nothing is impossible for the Son of God.

Noirin

Advent Reflections (A Repost)

“The birth of Jesus Christ in that stable in Bethlehem is where all my questions begin to be answered”. (Cardinal Basil Hume)

Part of me understands these words from the late Archbishop of Westminster for it was during Advent about 3 years ago that I only began to understand the mystery of life, of death, of birth, of motherhood, the real meaning of Advent and Christmas and the preparation for the birth of the Infant King.

“The people in darkness have seen a great light” (Is 9:2). That previous summer, our journey as a family was plunged into darkness with the sudden death of our father. Two days afterwards, my sister announced that she was expecting her first child. God, through his mysterious ways, had already begun to comfort us and assuring us that life would go on. A few months afterwards, I recall how on the first Sunday of Advent, my sister informed us that she had already named the baby growing within her: Joshua, or ‘Jesus saves’ in Hebrew. A co-incidence, I think not…I like to see it as a God-incidence, God’s delicate reminder that this child who would join our family was a sign of hope that life will and must always overcome death, that there will always be a light to break through our darkness. In this little baby in my sister’s womb, I suddenly saw that it is not just into the ‘mess’ of the stable of Bethlehem but into my ‘mess’ that Jesus enters the world. For too long, instead of entering into the ‘rejoice’ of Christmas, part of me longed for the sorrow of Lent that would justify the feelings of sadness, grief and loneliness. How could I be faithful to that memory of love and still deal with this sorrow in this season of "Rejoice!"?? I pondered the name Joshua; I pondered the name Emmanuel, and was greatly consoled: Jesus is with us, God is with us. Life willt go on!

The liturgical time of Advent only lasts 4 weeks, yet its dynamism, from generation to generation animates those who walk towards the fulfilment of God’s promise that life will continue. The Promise is Love and the Promise was Life and the name of the Promise is Jesus! Jesus who comes into the world as a newborn child embodies both power and vulnerability. “Baby Jesus” is both Christ and Child, both powerful and vulnerable. Deep down, it makes sense, for to “to love at all is to be vulnerable”, as C.S. Lewis writes.

I know I will never have children of my own, and yet, each Advent, I cultivate the life growing deep within my heart, I ponder the miracle of motherhood, of bringing life into the world, of waiting. For me, Advent is the season where God waits for the love of his children. He waits, silently, patiently for the moment of grace until the chronos of life becomes impregnated with his kairos, the Word becomes flesh! Advent is the season where the voice of the prophets cries out with renewed energy …the prophets are in our midst, their voices echoing through the shallowness of our society, of our Church, of our lives. We often try to muffle their voices especially when their message forces us out of the cocoon of our spiritual and material comfort zones. At this time of the year, whilst nature slides silently into sleep, the liturgy, with ever-growing urgency, calls us to be awake, to keep watch, to be ready! Today, more than ever, as Christians we need to assume our prophetic role which flows from our baptism and be the voice which reminds that the world that the paradox of God’s love can be seen in an Infant child, his way of saying that the world must go on!


Sr Lou

Advent Reflections - What does Advent mean to me?

Waking up to hope!

This is the last week of Advent – last Sunday night I lit the last of the four candles which I have placed in the coffee table in my home. Bound together in pretty ribbons and greenery, they have become an icon, a prayer, and a constant reminder of Advent in this great season of preparation. On a purely personal level, Advent helps me to feel good, and it slows me down.

At the same time, today is a day when the news speaks about bank investigations, about drug fuelled lives, about the havoc this ‘unprofessional’ weather is causing and costing. There’s an ennui, a bored weariness, in how we tell one more story of what’s not working.

This year, our economic reality has really challenged my celebration of Advent – insisting, as it does, that pretty decorations and gentle reflections don’t cut it when the chips are down! So, what can Advent mean to me in 2010? In this reality, this place, this time?

Well, at the start of Advent this year, I was struck by an article in the Irish Times (Breda O'Brien, 27/11/10). It read: "Every day someone else tells me they have stopped listening to the radio, or reading newspapers, because it is all too depressing. In one way it is understandable. ... But declaring it all to be TMI (too much information) is to fall prey to some serious delusions ... We are a country that has had more than a grudging approval of people who bend the system to suit themselves. That has to stop. ... It is important this ... is a rejection of that kind of culture and not just impotent rage because we are facing a decade or more of austerity". I found this echoed in an Advent reading "It is full time now for you to wake from sleep. For salvation is nearer to us now than when we first believed; the night is far gone, the day is at hand." (Romans 13 – from the first Sunday of Advent).

I was struck by how I had fallen asleep. Fallen asleep in my faith, in my citizenship, in my family and in life generally. Life is undoubtedly not as easy this year, and I was struck by how much energy I was putting into me (poor me!) and into complaining about this. And I realised how little energy that left for hope & God, for family & life. It seemed like I was becoming more comfortable with darkness than with light.

So, Advent came at a good time for me this year. I needed to step away from the gossip, the complaining and the weariness that I had begun to feel was normal. I needed to be still, to pray and to re-connect with the Good News of faith, hope and love that this season of Advent offers us. I needed to journey with the prophets, with Mary and with my church in preparation for Christmas. This Advent, I have tried to not wait in brittle hope of the I.M.F., but rather to wait in confident hope of God’s grace.



The base of an ancient baptismal font -
In the ruins of Portumna 13th century Cistercian Abbey















Today is the shortest day of the year. This morning we left for work in almost total darkness, and tomorrow we awake in what seems to be the same dark world. But, in truth, tomorrow is fundamentally different. We have crossed the winter solstice, and we are faced towards Spring and towards sunshine. Tomorrow, the first light we see will be the light after the longest dark night - an annual light proclaiming that darkness is always overcome.

What Advent means to me is this year is ‘wake up call’ .... an invitation to stand up and face the Son. Christmas is coming, wake up, be glad .... nothing is impossible for the Son of God.

Noirin

Advent Reflections - What does Advent mean to me?

“Everything that was written long ago in the scriptures was meant to teach us something about hope, from the examples scripture gives of how people who did not give up were helped by God.” (Rom: 15:4)

The above excerpt is from the second reading on the second Sunday of Advent. It reminds us that waiting in expectant hope is the central theme of the Advent season. St Paul reminds us that there are examples in the scriptures of people who never gave up hope and can thus serve as an inspiration to us in our Christian journey.

One such example is the prophet Isaiah who is a key figure during Advent. This prophet was writing over 500 years before the coming of Christ. When Babylon invaded Israel, destroyed the Jerusalem and razed the Temple Isaiah hastily gathered fragments of scripture of the earlier part of the book of Isaiah, and brought them with him as the people were taken off into exile to Babylon. Throughout the exile Isaiah encouraged the exiled Israelites, reminding them of the promises of God, reassuring them that one day they would return, and helping them to keep hope alive. Isaiah’s trust was not misplaced; when Cyrus invaded Babylon the Persians freed the Israelites to return to their homeland.

In our own time too, there are ‘examples of people who did not give up hope’ and ‘who serve to teach us something about hope’.

Ingrid Betancourt was born in Colombia and raised in France. As an adult she gave up a life of comfort to return to Colombia to try to better the lives of the people there. In 2002 she was campaigning as a presidential candidate when she was taken captive by the FARC rebels and held as a hostage for the next six and a half years. Her time as a captive in the Jungle was one of terrible mistreatment, of cruelty, imprisonment, isolation, often chained by the neck, day and night. She has written her story in a book called ‘Even Silence has an End’. In this story of great courage she says that the ultimate freedom can never be taken from us – the freedom to choose the kind of person we want to be. She described how reading the Bible allowed her to enter a state of deep meditation and inner peace. The Bible became her trusted companion; what was written there forced her to stop avoiding her true self; she experience the written word as a living voice speaking directly to her. It was thus that she remained strong, waiting in expectant hope for the day of her release.

Aung San Suu Kyi has spent 15 of the last 21 years under house arrest in Burma which is one of the poorest countries in the world where one third of the children are malnourished. Suu Kyi is part of a pro-democracy movement campaigning for human rights under a military dictatorship. On her release, just a few weeks ago she showed no sign of bitterness; asked about all she had suffered she simply said, ‘I don’t feel I have suffered greatly – many others have suffered more’. She says she wishes those who imprisoned her no ill. A man who has also campaigned for democracy in Burma says her words are ‘like raindrops promising new life in the monsoon season’, he said his heart was once again filled with joy and expectation and now he can hope and pray again.

This Advent season is a really difficult time for many people in Ireland. Many households are genuinely struggling to make ends meet. The temptation to despair is not far away.

Advent is a call to wait in hopeful expectation. It is a time for recognising that the most important things can never be taken from us, our spirit, our hope, our optimism, our sense of community and care for each other.


Eamonn

Advent Reflections - What does Advent mean to me?

Advent is a time of waiting, but what kind of waiting? Not a distracted, impatient waiting but an attentive, hopeful and joyful one. While it is true that the Gospel reading (Mt 24:37-44) talks of deluge and destruction and other related images, it does so only to call us to “pay attention,” to be vigilant, in order to be ready when the Son of Man comes.



All the situations presented in the reading refer to the daily routine of life – eating, drinking, marrying, reproducing, working, etc. They are no different from the tasks, big and small, that we carry out here and now. The invitation though is not that we stop doing these things but to give our lives a quality of “presence,” of “conscious attention,” that amidst all these, we can try to sense the presence of Someone who is about to come (or more exactly, Someone special who is already here!) right within the trivialities of our daily lives.


Hence, in this first week of Advent, we can “spice up” our routinary lives by practicing “presence” which concretely means “listening, being attentive, waiting in prayer, silence.”


For me, this also means “being led” because the truth is, we are not only the one waiting or searching. It is the Lord who is actually waiting for us, knocking at the doors of our hearts all the time and asking us to pay attention to his presence. It is enough for us to say, "here I am, Lord; lead me..."


The prayer-poem-music that accompanies me in this practice of presence is Blessed John Henry Newman’s “Lead Kindly Light,” one of my favorite prayer-song since the time of my novitiate. Let me share with you the text here.

Lead, kindly Light, amid th’encircling gloom, lead Thou me on!
The night is dark, and I am far from home; lead Thou me on!
Keep Thou my feet; I do not ask to see
The distant scene; one step enough for me.

I was not ever thus, nor prayed that Thou shouldst lead me on;
I loved to choose and see my path; but now lead Thou me on!
I loved the garish day, and, spite of fears,
Pride ruled my will. Remember not past years!

So long Thy power hath blest me, sure it still will lead me on.
O’er moor and fen, o’er crag and torrent, till the night is gone,
And with the morn those angel faces smile, which I
Have loved long since, and lost awhile!

Meantime, along the narrow rugged path, Thyself hast trod,
Lead, Savior, lead me home in childlike faith, home to my God.
To rest forever after earthly strife
In the calm light of everlasting life.


My favorite musical arrangement of the poem is the one of John B. Dykes, entitled Lux Benigna. Let me sing it to you here, with the hope that this may become the song of your heart this Advent as you await our Lord’s coming.

Sr Gemma

Advent Reflections - What does Advent mean to me?

“The birth of Jesus Christ in that stable in Bethlehem is where all my questions begin to be answered”. (Cardinal Basil Hume)

Part of me understands these words from the late Archbishop of Westminster for it was during Advent about 3 years ago that I only began to understand the mystery of life, of death, of birth, of motherhood, the real meaning of Advent and Christmas and the preparation for the birth of the Infant King.

“The people in darkness have seen a great light” (Is 9:2). That previous summer, our journey as a family was plunged into darkness with the sudden death of our father. Two days afterwards, my sister announced that she was expecting her first child. God, through his mysterious ways, had already begun to comfort us and assuring us that life would go on. A few months afterwards, I recall how on the first Sunday of Advent, my sister informed us that she had already named the baby growing within her: Joshua, or ‘Jesus saves’ in Hebrew. A co-incidence, I think not…I like to see it as a God-incidence, God’s delicate reminder that this child who would join our family was a sign of hope that life will and must always overcome death, that there will always be a light to break through our darkness. In this little baby in my sister’s womb, I suddenly saw that it is not just into the ‘mess’ of the stable of Bethlehem but into my ‘mess’ that Jesus enters the world. For too long, instead of entering into the ‘rejoice’ of Christmas, part of me longed for the sorrow of Lent that would justify the feelings of sadness, grief and loneliness. How could I be faithful to that memory of love and still deal with this sorrow in this season of "Rejoice!"?? I pondered the name Joshua; I pondered the name Emmanuel, and was greatly consoled: Jesus is with us, God is with us. Life willt go on!

The liturgical time of Advent only lasts 4 weeks, yet its dynamism, from generation to generation animates those who walk towards the fulfilment of God’s promise that life will continue. The Promise is Love and the Promise was Life and the name of the Promise is Jesus! Jesus who comes into the world as a newborn child embodies both power and vulnerability. “Baby Jesus” is both Christ and Child, both powerful and vulnerable. Deep down, it makes sense, for to “to love at all is to be vulnerable”, as C.S. Lewis writes.

I know I will never have children of my own, and yet, each Advent, I cultivate the life growing deep within my heart, I ponder the miracle of motherhood, of bringing life into the world, of waiting. For me, Advent is the season where God waits for the love of his children. He waits, silently, patiently for the moment of grace until the chronos of life becomes impregnated with his kairos, the Word becomes flesh! Advent is the season where the voice of the prophets cries out with renewed energy …the prophets are in our midst, their voices echoing through the shallowness of our society, of our Church, of our lives. We often try to muffle their voices especially when their message forces us out of the cocoon of our spiritual and material comfort zones. At this time of the year, whilst nature slides silently into sleep, the liturgy, with ever-growing urgency, calls us to be awake, to keep watch, to be ready! Today, more than ever, as Christians we need to assume our prophetic role which flows from our baptism and be the voice which reminds that the world that the paradox of God’s love can be seen in an Infant child, his way of saying that the world must go on!


Sr Lou

Advent Reflection - What does Advent mean to me?

Advent is my favourite liturgical season. It is the season of watching and waiting, of hope and expectancy, of joy and peace. In a world of suffering and injustice, of war and famine, earthquakes and floods, the cry of the people of Israel becomes our cry. “O that you would tear the heavens open and come down to us. Comfort your people, come be with us.” We, too, who walk in darkness will see “a great light”, as we place our broken world and our broken hearts before the Lord to be transformed and changed this Advent season. (Isaiah)
We look for the small shoots of hope and love, praying that with His coming world leaders may once again, as foretold by Isaiah, “beat their swords into ploughshares and spears into pruning hooks”. In our own country we see neighbour helping neighbour, volunteers braving the snow and ice to bring help to people isolated in this recent cold spell. We see workers from Trocaire, Concern and many other agencies struggling to bring relief to the poorest of the poor. The Word has become flesh, God is visiting His people and all made possible by the total self giving of a humble maiden—“Behold the handmaid of the Lord.”
In the words of Paul to the Philippians, “Rejoice in the Lord always, again I say rejoice...the Lord is near, do not be anxious about anything. The peace of God which surpasses all understanding, will keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.”

Teresia

Advent Reflections - What does Advent mean to me?

Advent is a time of preparation, a time in the Church's Liturgical Calender, when we take a closer look at our journey in the Lord. Our walk with God is a daily commitment, a daily encounter with Jesus, following Him in order to receive Him in whatever form He may come to us.


In Advent we are reminded daily in the Readings & Psalms at Mass of Jesus 2nd Coming. These readings exhort us to be watchful- to always have an awareness that Jesus is coming back. Mt.ch.24:42 tells us 'stay awake because you do not know the day when your Master is coming'. Advent helps us focus on how we can prepare & develop the true self for Eternal Life.


Sometimes I say the following Prayer.

LORD I LONG FOR MY HEAVENLY HOME,

BUT LORD, I'M PREPARED TO WAIT,

UNTIL THE FINAL SUMMONS COMES FROM THEE.

Anne

Advent Reflections: What does Advent mean to me?

This year, Advent is a time of reflection and questioning for me. I recently lost someone close to me and I find myself ‘in the wilderness’ as this Sunday’s Gospel (2nd Sunday of Advent) phrases it. In the midst of my grief and loss I find myself questioning the true meaning of life. Pope John Paul II reminds us in Fides et Ratio (Faith and Reason) that “no-one can avoid this questioning, neither the philosopher nor the ordinary person” (FR 26). So what can we do when we find ourselves asking these questions? We can turn with confidence to Christian Revelation which is “concerned with the ultimate meaning of life and it illumines the whole of life with the light of the Gospel, to inspire it or to question it” (General Directory for Catechesis 116).

Advent is a perfect time for reflecting on the meaning of life:

In Advent, we prepare to celebrate the first coming of Jesus Christ, who in becoming fully human, showed us how much God loves us (cf. Jn 3:16).

Advent is a time where we walk with Our Lady in pondering and reflecting on God’s promises to us who is always faithful (cf. Rom 15:4-9)

Advent is a time for taking stock of our lives and asking ourselves ‘have we lost sight of the true meaning of life?’ It is a time when we hear anew John the Baptist’s cry to repent and “prepare a way for the Lord” (Mt 3:3).

In Advent, we also prepare for the second coming of Christ. It is only then that the full mystery and meaning of all that God has done for us in our lives will be revealed: “we shall know the ultimate meaning of the whole work of creation and of the entire economy of salvation and understand the marvellous ways by which his Providence led everything towards its final end” (Catechism of the Catholic Church 1040).

I pray this Advent for all our brothers and sisters – especially those who struggle with the question of life’s meaning – that we will all come to a greater knowledge and experience of God’s abundant love for us, and that in response, we may increase our love for Him.

L

Advent Reflections - What does Advent mean to me?

For me Advent is connected with "inner"ways.


The way through snow, the way to meditations in church, the way nearer to family and neighbours. And, what, is not always working the way to myself. To open my heart for God who is on the way to us human beings.

This year I discovered in a hospital where my husband is at the moment, the sentence of Benedict of Nursia: "Go your way and you are carried." At the sickbed of my husband I try to understand what these words of Benedict do mean for me. Is it the pooring love of God who wants to be next to me so that I can live out of the Easter Hallelujah that has the overture in the Incarnation?

Have a blessed Advent."


M

Advent Reflections - What does Advent mean to me?

Over the next few weeks, we will post some reflections from various people about what Advent means to them. Please feel free to add your own reflections and thoughts in the comment boxes.

J, L, M & S

Sr Maria Rose Nannyonjo IHMR (Uganda)

"We have began the Season of Advent. To me it has the following meanings:

- Advent is a time of preparation, renewal and refreshment. This Season is like a springtime in nature, when everything is renewed and so is fresh and healthy.
- Advent is meant to refresh us and make us healthy, to be able to receive Christ in whatever form he may come to us.
- In this Season, we should stay awake and stand ready, because we do not know the hour when the Son of Man (Christ) is coming.

Let us continue to pray to the Lord that he may help us to participate actively in preparation for His coming and may we enjoy the fruits of the forthcoming Christmas 2010.
I wish you a happy feast of St. Andrew the Apostle and a grace-filled month of December 2010.

May God bless you abundantly.
Sr. Maria Rose Nannyonjo