19 December 2022 · 2022-12 newsletter
A good number of women attended the Advent reflection day presented by Sr Mary Louise. A brief overview was given on how the focus of Advent has changed over the centuries. In the time of the Irish monks Advent and Lent being penitential was the focus. However since Vatican 2 there has been a shift to a 3 dimensional focus:
- The coming of Jesus as the human babe of Bethlehem
- The coming of Jesus as the King and Judge at the end of time
- The coming of Jesus into our lives NOW
Advent is preparation for the remembering (amamnesis) of the Incarnation. It is also preparation for the Parousia, the fulfillment of God’s Kingdom. And, as St Bernard wrote, the coming of Christ in our personal lives allows us to pass from the first coming to the third coming.
Advent is also the season of QUIET that calls us to reflect on past blessings, joys and challenges. God always breaks through human history and our own personal history. John the Baptist we know, calls us to action: “Prepare the Way”. We listen to God through the scripture readings and in the people that we encounter in the circumstances of our daily lives.
We were invited to reflect on the second reading of the 1st Sunday of Advent (Romans 13:11-14) and ask ourselves the following questions:
- How is St Paul’s message of conversion suitable for the season of Advent?
- Why is the imagery of Jesus as armour important to this passage?
- What practical ways can we apply St Paul’s advice in this passage to our own lives?
Sr. Mary Louise provided us with ten tips that could be helpful in channelling our focus from the commercial to the spiritual:
- Read some sort of short, daily devotion
- Get some quiet time
- It’s okay to say NO
- Don’t forget the Advent music
- Decorate even a little
- Light an Advent wreath
- Christmas stories/videos
- Support an organization that works for social justice
- Consider the sacrament of Reconciliation
- Reflect on “the three comings of the Lord”
During the morning there was the opportunity for Reconciliation and the Rosary. Holy Mass was celebrated by Fr. Giovani Gaviria.
It was a day in which to reflect on ways in which we can appreciate the season of Advent as not just a preparation for Christmas but as a time of conversion.
Conversion is Christ being born in our hearts.
Jenny Hogan
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