Written by Fiona Dyball
This Sunday marks the beginning of the season of Advent, a joyful but also quiet and contemplative season of waiting before the full joy of Christmas is revealed and celebrated. In our troubled world where busyness and domination can be understood as virtues, making space and taking time to prepare hearts and minds to fully receive the peaceful, transforming light of Christ is a countercultural and much-needed grace.
Advent has a twofold character: it is a time of preparation for the commemoration of the First Coming of the Son of God at Christmas, and also a time of looking forward in hope to the eventual Second Coming of Christ that will come at the end of time. The readings for this week speak of trust, awareness, memory, and mercy. This is nourishing food for both body and soul as we continue to walk forward together.
As we move into Advent, we also recognise the ongoing journey of the Synod in the Church for all the People of God. The call to conversion present in the Synod and in this season of Advent remains: we pray that our Church is a sacrament of unity in a world thirsty for hope. With the Psalmist, and as Pilgrims of Hope in this newly begun Jubilee Year, we lift our souls to the God who offers us faithful friendship and love in all seasons of our lives.