A Prayer and a Reflection for November 27, 2022,
Advent 1, Year A
Prayer
God of all people,
our faith in you brings us hope.
You are the centre of our lives through Jesus.
May we be so aware of his presence with us
that other people may come to believe in him
because of our love for one another.
May the way we live help to bring peace to this world.
May we have compassion for the poor and neglected.
May Jesus inspire and guide us.
May he give us courage and hope,
and help us to bring people peace of mind and heart.
Reflection
Quite often during November
when autumn has almost gone, and the winter begun,
I feel a bit like a dormouse after hibernation.
I often wake up and look at the clock, and think
'can that really be the time?'
Eventually I tell myself that, although I may not want to,
I have to get up, because if I don't, then nothing will get done.
(Not much may get done anyway, but I must try to make a start.)
The start of the season of Advent,
is meant to be a bit like waking up after hibernation,
a time to get on with things in our life.
It's a sort of wake-up call for us.
Advent should help to remind us
of what it means to be a christian.
In November 1965,
the 2nd Vatican Council issued a document called:
'The Decree on the Apostolate of Lay People.'
In it was this:
Wherever women and men are to be found
who are in want of food and drink, of clothing,
housing, medicine, education,
the means necessary for leading a truly human life;
wherever there are men and women
suffering from misfortune or illness,
men and women suffering exile or imprisonment,
christian charity should search them out,
comfort and care for them,
and give them the assistance that will relieve their needs.
This obligation is especially binding
on the more affluent individuals and nations.
The aid contributed should be organised in such a way
that beneficiaries are gradually freed
from their dependance on others,
and become self-supporting.
Obviously most of us can't do this on a world scale,
but we certainly can on a local one.
This Advent and Christmas, as usual,
we have a chance to do something about this.
On December 7, 1965,
the 2nd Vatican Council issued a document called:
'The Pastoral Constitution on the Church in the Modern World.'
In it was this:
In every age, the church,
if it is to carry out its task,
carries the responsibility of reading
the signs of the times,
and of interpreting them
in the light of the gospel.
It's part of our response as people who believe
in the message of Jesus.
There are things to be done,
so we need to make sure we're not still hibernating.
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