drawing strength from the word during advent

Author: Kathy Horan

It’s that time of year again where the events and activities all around us signal the end of the current year. Our time and energies are taken up with rounding off this year’s work so we can have some respite from work and hopefully some quality family time.
There is also the reality of needing to look ahead and plan for the coming year, and balance this out with the practical preparations for the festive season.
For Christians all over the world, the season of Advent points us in the direction of the celebration of the birth of Christ at Christmas. This a time to focus on the promises God has made, and to celebrate with joyful and thankful hearts that God kept those promises, sending Jesus into our world to enable us to come close and to live in peace as people with hope. God’s presence in history reached its fullness in the Incarnation. The Scriptures proclaimed in our liturgies echo the words of the prophets who call us again to wake up, to be alert, to ready our hearts and minds for the second coming of Christ in the fullness of time, and especially to work together as people of faith to create a different kind of society where justice, peace and love are the hallmarks.

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