I wish you all a very happy and blessed new Church year; I know that 2023 has been hard with the economic downturn, and the horrors of war in Ukraine and the Holy Land. More than ever we now need this sense of hope that this new Advent brings us. The new Church year kicks in on this day so we move from reflecting on the gospel of Matthew (Year A) to begin reflecting on the gospel of Mark (Year B). I pray that this year of reflecting, and prayer together will bring healing and a sense of global solidarity. Mark, the first and shortest of gospels, wants to get a unique life-saving message across quickly. He writes for people just like us who are in a hurry to find Jesus.

Traditionally we light the first candle on the wreath as we begin this season of HOPE. This Advent, more than ever in these modern times, we need light to see us through the darkness; we need the grace of hope to see us through. Hope is that quality that enables us to offer a way through the craziness of what is going on in the world. It reminds us that we have to fully enter the trauma, even experience the pain if we are going to fully bring the light of Christ into those situations of pain, mistrust, anger, and grief that these months have put us through. We do not sit on the sidelines; we CHOOSE to be involved as Pope Francis reminds us:

To speak of hope to those who are desperate, it is essential to share their desperation. To dry the tears from the faces of those who are suffering, it is necessary to join our tears with theirs.

Advent is our opportunity to prepare fully for the gift of a God who also CHOOSES to be involved in the life of our world. A God who shares the desperation, tears, and suffering of humanity. This message is one that we need to share with our families and friends as we try to navigate all those potholes that life seems to put in our way. I hope that you will remember that Advent 2023 gave you the gift of TIME - time that you can usefully spend with those dear to you. Time that you can use to deepen your relationship with God. Advent is a journey, a pilgrimage, a Camino to Christmas - each day of this season will offer us an opportunity to reflect, pray, and do something positive for the good of others.

You may have the traditional Advent Calendar in your home; each day you open a window and take a sweet treat. Why not begin a new tradition this year? Make the choice to do something positive each day as you journey through Advent. We have devised a simple 'Camino through Advent' that you may wish to join in-please find the link HERE. Advent has always been a happy time for most people, even in difficult times, because there is something about Christmas and the coming of the Messiah and the coming of the Lord. One of the greatest gifts we can bring to this suffering world in 2023 is to still bring that happiness and hope to those we meet. In many ways we need to go 'over the top' to ensure that those we love will not miss out this year.

God will fulfil his promise in the most amazing of ways: in a stable, a little child, a poor young teenage mother, and her gravely worried husband into whose care God had placed this most precious twosome. Advent is really a time for hope. It is a time when we put aside major worries in our life and realise that God is with us. Pope Benedict wrote his second encyclical on hope 'Spe Salvi' - it is a short but beautiful, document. He says for a Christian to have hope means to know that we are definitely loved, and that, whatever happens to us, we are awaited by love.

In the gospel today we are invited to 'stay awake' and be ready for the coming of the Messiah - Mark is helping his community of faith. The early Church experienced the pain of persecution and even death for following Christ. Mark is helping his friends to face the reality of their situation. Today you are not only being invited to be aware of the crisis we are facing, but also to do what you can help others who share the journey with you. We are to be "alert" and "watchful." That means we are to be focused on the Lord. It is all too easy to get distracted. There are hundreds of things pulling us in different directions, especially this time of year, so we can easily lose focus of what's most important: our hopeful faith. During Advent, we are called to focus on our relationship with God and others.

In the horrors of World War Charles Peguy wrote a poem that is seen to reflect his faith in the horrors of the war. Graham Greene used his reflection as an introduction to his novel 'The Heart of the Matter':

The sinner is at the very heart of Christianity. Nobody is so competent as the sinner in matters of Christianity.

Peguy died in the First World War on the battlefield, but he left this beautiful poem. In the midst of the extreme horror of a brutal global conflict, he wants to offer a sense of hope. More than ever in Advent 2023, we need to offer this sense of hope too:

I am, says God, master of the three virtues: Faith, Charity, and Hope.

Faith is like a faithful wife.

Charity is the ardent mother.

But Hope is a little girl.

I am, says God, the master of virtues.

Faith is she who remains steadfast through centuries and centuries.

Love is she who gives herself during centuries and centuries.

But my little Hope is she who rises every morning.

I am, says God, the Lord of virtues...

Faith is she who remains firm and strong.

Charity is she who unbends during centuries and centuries.

But my little Hope is she who every morning wishes me good day.

And this is what it means to prepare for Christmas: to help each other as we go through our struggles, but go with hope in our hearts. This is a hope that feeds the deep faith that we share; we commit ourselves to reaching out in love in a caring compassion. In this Advent of 2023 we do all this with a joyful, light heart, because 'Hope' is that little girl who gets up every morning and wishes us "good day."

Text: Fr Gerry O'Shaughnessy SDB

Photo by Elena Mozhvilo on Unsplash