Advent

A journey towards the horizon of hope

Advent is a journey towards the horizon of hope.  For us humans, it is necessary to always renew the common horizon toward which we are journeying. The horizon of hope! It is the Lord himself who guides our journey, the pilgrimage of all People of God; and by its light even all the other peoples of the earth can walk towards the Kingdom of justice, towards the Kingdom of peace.

The season of Advent takes us into the horizon of hope, a hope that does not disappoint because it is founded on the Word of God. A hope that does not disappoint, simply because the Lord never disappoints! He is faithful!  Advent focuses on the connection between memory and hope which is necessary to man. Advent’s purpose is to awaken the most profound and basic emotional memory within us, namely, the memory of the God who became a child. This is a healing memory; it brings hope. It is the beautiful task of Advent to awaken in all of us memories of goodness and thus to open doors of hope.

Let us rediscover the beauty of being together along the way. Be aware that in the very midst of our busy preparations for the celebration of Christ’s birth in ancient Bethlehem, Christ is reborn in the Bethlehem of our homes and daily lives. Take time, slow down, be still, be awake to the divine mystery that looks so common and so ordinary yet wondrously present.

–Fr Pothin