Welcome to our Celebration of Advent!
As we enter the Season of Advent, we also prepare for and anticipate the Jubilee Year of Hope, a time that invites us to reflect deeply on the profound gift of hope that sustains us in our daily lives. Advent is a sacred invitation to awaken our hearts to the promise of Christ’s coming, both in history and in our personal lives. In the spirit of being “Pilgrims of Hope,” as we light the candles on our Advent wreaths we are called to recognize the light that breaks through our darkness, symbolizing the light of Christ illuminating the path towards renewal and transformation. As we journey through this Season, let us embrace the opportunities presented to us, moments of prayer, reflection, and community that can deepen our connection to God and each other. May we support one another as we renew our hope, both as individuals and as a faith community.
Wishing you a blessed Advent Season filled with joy and hope.
Bishop Wayne Kirkpatrick
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Advent Reflections by Sheila O’Handley, Diocesan Hermit
The Christian Liturgical Season of Advent will soon be upon us. Advent is a time of preparation for the birth of Jesus of Nazareth celebrated annually at Christmas. Advent also offers us the opportunity to reflect on the Gift of Life housed in the doctrine of the Incarnation.
The Incarnation – God’s Original Love impulse that gave birth to Jesus, also gave birth to cosmic creation – a universe of 17 billion years, and in time LIFE – all living creatures including humankind, and continues the advancement of LIFE in the here and now. The doctrine of the Incarnation is the narration of God’s Love Story – its’ wonders, its’ struggles and its’ possibilities.
I wonder what difference our experience of Advent and Christmas might be if our attention shifted somewhat from the single past event of the birth of Jesus of Nazareth to include all cosmic LIFE housed in the Incarnation.
During the next four weeks join me as I offer reflective meditations which will be expressed in poetry and art, to focus our hearts, our homes, our communities, and our liturgies in preparation for the celebration of Christmas – the Incarnation happening Now.
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Week Four: The Sitter
artist friend Ruby Le Riche Beaumont
Welcome to the expectations of the nearness of Christmas, and to Solstice – the returning of light.
Christmas awakens the deepest desires residing in the human heart – the desire to belong, the desire to be loved, and the desire to be at home. Solstice, the returning of light awakens the stirrings of Hope that resides within the human spirit, dispelling physical darkness, psychic and collective anguish inhabiting the human spirit, and our world today.
We have been reflecting on the mysteries and miracles of Life – the Divine Cosmic Story through the lens of the Incarnation – the revelation of Original Love.
The Incarnation is deeper than a doctrine. The very nature of the Incarnation is a Creator-God of Love, and the nature of love is to become more love, always being more, becoming more – the more-ness of God. It is what energizes the cosmos and the human spirit giving direction and meaning to Life, all of Life.
Beatrice Bruteau in her book God’s Ecstasy defines the Incarnation in these words – “The Incarnation is the union of the infinite and the finite, the Creator and the created, the divine and the human. The created is the “beloved child.” It represents the cosmos as God taking form as the finite, God “coming down” into/as the world. This is God’s act, for God’s reasons, and God’s self-expression.”
Somewhere deep down we know that we are an act of God – the image and likeness of God’s self-expression, and that we exist for God’s reasons – a human-divine world community of love and compassion, and intuitively we know that we are of God. We are the Light of the world as was Jesus, birthing God consciousness in the NOW of the world.
May this Christmas bless each of us with a deeper understanding of the Incarnation that homes within us, and may we also become ‘The Sitter’ holding and beholding the mysteries and the miracles of LIFE celebrated at Christmas.
Reflection:
The earth is the Lord’s’, and everything in it, the world and all who live in it. Psalm 24:1
“What good is it to me that Mary gave birth to the son of God fourteen hundred years ago, and I do not also give birth to the son of God in my time and in my culture? We are all meant to be mothers of God. God is always needing to be born.” Meister Eckhart 13th century theologian, priest and mystic.,
cosmic home
the cosmos is my home
some 14 billion years ago she began to prepare a place for me
when mother earth was ready
she birthed me
welcoming me into the community of life
refrain: i am defined by love
i am not alone
i am many
in the depths of my heart i am a community of life
love is the life blood sap that generates there
it desires me
it consumes me
it binds me to all
i am defined by love
i am not alone
i am many
refrain: i am defined by love
i am not alone
i am many
daily she sets before me a table of plenty
all are welcomed at the cosmic table
carved from the tree of life
she proclaims there is enough
to satisfy
to passion
to inspire
to unify
all
refrain: i am defined by love
i am not alone
i am many
at this cosmic table
secrets of the heart are shared
future dreams gestate
distilled from the grapes of life
creativity out runs the imagination in
love
poetry
music
art
science
broken hearts are healed
differences complement
refrain: i am defined by love
i am not alone
i am many
at the cosmic table of life
we are defined by love
we are not alone
we are many
and the many
are one
refrain: i am defined by love
i am not alone
i am many
we are the one
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Week Three: Presence
“I am a hole in the flute that the Christ’s breath moves through – listen to this music”
Persian poet Hafiz
Culturally, as we enter the Third Week of Advent, we are greeted warmly with lights of every color, along with musical themes of the spirit of Christmas. Sometimes we even find ourselves humming the lyrics, creating an atmosphere in anticipation of the forthcoming Christmas festivities.
As we move into week three of Advent, let us give some reflective consideration to poet Hafiz’ advice: “listen to this music”. His words are a metaphor that highlights who we are – a partnership of Union that exists between the cosmos, between us, and the Divine.
Hafiz’s metaphor that we are “a hole in the flute that the Christ’s breath moves through” evokes another metaphoric image – a scientific metaphor which affirms that we are not only hard-wired for cosmic responsibility, we are also, body, mind, soul and heart hard-wired for Union with Divinity.
The music of the Incarnation flows through all of creation and through us.
During the Third week of Advent let us pause from the gift buying, the card sending, the special food preparation and give some time to “listen to this music” – Union with God.
Prepare a space of quiet time and stillness.
– Light a candle
– Quiet your mind of compulsive thinking and of doing simply by focusing on your breathing… with practice it works.
– This prayer time is not about your thoughts, your feelings, your emotions, or your insights. It is simply about you’re INTENT TO BE PRESENT with the PRESENCE – God.
– Focusing on breathing and or a sacred word can be of assistance, yet this relationship of prayer – THE INTENT TO BE PRESENT with the PRESENCE is deeper than our breathing and our focus word. This prayer takes place within the deepest center of our being, our soul’s heart, which has never left the PRESENCE of God. This is the prayer of Union. It is who we are.
– Once you have to some extent quieted your mind enfold yourself in the Christ’s breath that moves through you.
– When you act with justice, love, and compassion you intone the music of THE CHRIST’S BREATH.
– Let us imagine our world, our homes, our places of worship and our relationships in such intoned harmony.
– If we imagine it, IT CAN HAPPEN.
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Week Two: Choice
Welcome to the Second Week of Advent rooted in Hope. In a world presently conflicted politically and culturally it feels like we, and the world are out of control. This seemingly womb darkness calls out for Hope. We feel it in our bones. A Hope that calls forth an active trusting in God’s continuous evolving Original Love that is manifested in the Incarnation. Hope is rooted in human choice.
Often our trusting in God’s faithfulness is one-sided – that God will take care of everything. In fact, that is not how it works at all. The crux of the matter is that we are integral participants in God’s continuous Incarnation – the furthering of creation.
Scientist and theologian, Sister Ilia Delio, puts it this way, “the Incarnation presents God as an ongoing event with humanity as active participant”. In other words, God and we are together in Life’s continued advancement. How we choose and what we choose will make a difference in giving direction, meaning, and purpose to Life’s evolution.
I have chosen Henry Ossawa Tanner’s painting of the Annunciation to underscore the importance of participatory choice.
Sometimes our choices can out-run our imagination, not unlike God’s paradoxical wisdom- choice of Mary of Nazareth, a young Jewish woman, and her choice to give her body to birth Jesus into the world. That choice does elicit ‘wow’ in the realm of choices that out-run the human imagination.
Mary is indeed an icon of Advent Hope, the promise and expectation of something more. Divine Wisdom counted on Mary to make possible the birth of Jesus of Nazareth. Divine Wisdom depends on each of us to further Life’s evolution story housed in the Incarnation. With God, we are the Hope of the future.
During the coming week of Advent let us reflect:
- What it was like for Mary of Nazareth to participate in God’s paradoxical wisdom choice? The Annunciation Luke 1:26-38
- Ponder the insightful words of the 13th century theologian, priest and mystic Meister Eckhart “What does God do all day long? He gives birth. From the beginning of eternity, God lies on a maternity bed giving birth to all. God is creating the whole universe full and entire in this present moment”.
- How will you give birth to cosmic Life by the choices you make?
Bishop Robert F. Morneau’s poem, ‘The Annunciation’, captures in word the artistic moment of Tanner’s painting.
The Annunciation
On her bed of doubt
in wrinkled night garment,
She sat, glancing with fear at the golden shaft of streaming light,
pondering perhaps, “was this but a sequel to a dream?”
This light too bright for disbelief, yet its silence eased not her trembling.
Somehow, she murmurs “YES”
And with that the light’s love and life pierced her womb.
The room remained the same
– the rug still needed smoothing
– jug and paten awaited using
Now all was different
In a maiden’s
soft but firm “FIAT.”
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Week One: Life
Welcome to the graced moments of Advent. As mentioned in the invitation last week, Advent reflections this year will focus on the Gift of Life homed in the doctrine of the Incarnation – God’s continued narration of Original Love.
The following poem – birthing – offers the image of Life as a birth canal.
birthing
birthing
expansions
contractions
breathing
bearing down
pushing through
the birth canal of life
the dwelling place of the divine.
Life is a womb of miracles and mysteries, the unveiling of Life’s ultimate meaning. It is the dwelling place of the Divine. Life is ignited from within questing for union with God – Original Love.
“Oneing” was the preferred word created by the 14th century mystic, Julian of Norwich to describe union with God. Jesus, in conversation with Julian assured her … “All shall be well, and all shall be well and all manner of things shall be well.” Life has one request only – trust evolving Life.
Life has a movement of its own – that of more Life. Jesus affirmed in the Gospel of John 10:10, the more-ness of life… “I have come so that they may have life and have it to the full.” He tells us also in Luke 12:20, that the fullness of life is among us – homed within us… “For, you must know that the kingdom of God is among you.”
Cosmic life has its Advent moments for sure, moments of – darkness and uncertainty, a slowing down and a waiting, expansions and contractions, suffering and at times even death. Life’s Advent moments touch our lives at one time or another, bearing down, and tugging at the heart with varying degrees of affection and emotional intensity. They are essential components in the birth canal of evolving Life.
Change is integral to evolving Life. It may be suddenly abrupt or incrementally slow. Conversion – a change in consciousness in one’s perceptions, judgements and actions are also integral to Life. At times conversion as well as change often feels like the bearing down and the pushing through of birthing. If there is no change, no conversion, and no letting-go Life’s possibilities are aborted.
What is required of us during Life’s Advent moments is a stance of trust in God’s Original Creative Love which narrates chapter after chapter the promise of Life to the full.
Let us take some time the first week of Advent to:
- Ponder and savour the profound words of Jesus, “I have come so that they may have life, and have it to the full” … John 10:10, and Luke 12:20…” For, you must know that the kingdom of God is among you.”
- And the words of Jesuit scientist-theologian Pierre Teilhard de Chardin, “We shall never know all that the Incarnation still expects of the world’s potentialities. We shall never put enough hope in the growing unity of humankind.”
- Behold Mother Earth in this season of her quiet time of letting-go in preparation for begetting new Life, come Spring.
- What is asking to come to birth in and through you?
- What Advent movements are presently experienced in you, in your home, in your community and in your place of worship?
- What is it that must be let-go?
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Advent Family Prayer
God of Love, Your Son, Jesus, is your greatest gift to us.
He is a sign of Your love.
Help us walk in that love during the weeks of Advent,
as we wait and prepare for His coming.
We pray in the name of Jesus, our Saviour. Amen.
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Journey Through Advent: Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops
Each video in the series serves as an introduction to the liturgical season of Advent and presents reflections on the Gospel readings for each Sunday leading up to Christmas.
This year’s spiritual reflections are delivered by the Most Reverend Frank Leo, Metropolitan Archbishop of Toronto (in English), and the Most Reverend René Guay, Bishop of Chicoutimi (in French).
See all videos at https://www.cccb.ca/evangelization-catechesis-catholic-education/video-resources/journey-through-advent/
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