Advent is a time of preparation and expectation for the coming of Christ, the time before celebrating the \u201cjoy to the world\u201d that God\u2019s incarnation becomes. In advance of a celebratory Christmas season that follows Advent, we often take time to reflect on the themes of hope, peace, joy, and love, which gets us ready for a world that Christ has entered. The faithful remember the story of what God has done and look toward where God is going.<\/p>\n
G.K. Chesterton wrote, \u201cHope<\/strong> is the power of being cheerful in circumstances that we know to be desperate.\u201d It is not a blissful ignorance or wishful thinking but a subversive cheer that refuses to let circumstance triumph over courage, doubt overcome faith, or adversity conquer compassion. This is not easy; it is not our default setting. When we hit brick walls, the first emotion that naturally arises is generally not hope. Hope requires a strength that comes from focusing on a greater vision than what is wrong. We may not have every problem figured out, but we serve a God who loved this world enough to join us in it. We trust that when Jesus said, \u201cBehold, I am making all things new,\u201d he meant it.<\/p>\nBiblical peace<\/strong> is a more than a cessation of wars. It is a reconstituting of reality where mercy and justice reign, power becomes subservient to hospitality, and governance is driven by grace. It confronts rulers with a vision: God\u2019s way of life. Advent invites us to see the peace of God as a way of life.<\/p>\nJoy<\/strong> comes upon us unexpectedly. It jumps out at us from behind sunsets, peeks out in the smile of a stranger, and takes hold in a child\u2019s laughter. Pierre Teilhard de Chardin, a Jesuit biologist and philosopher, once wrote, \u201cJoy is the infallible sign of the presence of God.\u201d If this is true, every moment of joy is like a little Christmas in our lives. Advent is not only a time when we hope for the coming of Christ in great history-changing events. It is also a time where we hope for little moments of joy, and invite God to use us as instruments of joy for the world.<\/p>\nIn the fourth century, Saint Augustine wrote, \u201cWhat does love look like?<\/strong> It has the hands to help others. It has the feet to hasten to the poor and needy. It has eyes to see misery and want. It has the ears to hear the sighs and sorrows of men.\u201d Advent gives us space to step back and love. By taking the focus off ourselves we are able to see the needs of others.<\/p>\nvia Reflections on Advent as a Time of Preparation \u2013 Bread for the World: Have Faith. End Hunger.<\/a>.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<\/body><\/html>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Advent is approaching. It\u2019s one of my personal favorite times in the Church year. I recently wrote an article for\u00a0Bread for The World\u2019s Newsletter about the season and how it can inspire us this year. Take a moment to read the article, and while you\u2019re at it check out the great work that Bread for […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1678,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-177","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"yoast_head":"\n
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<\/a>Advent is approaching. It\u2019s one of my personal favorite times in the Church year. I recently wrote an article for\u00a0Bread for The World\u2019s<\/em> Newsletter<\/a> about the season and how it can inspire us this year. Take a moment to read the article, and while you\u2019re at it check out the great work that Bread for the World is doing!<\/a>\u00a0Here is my article:<\/p>\n