WAITING IN HOPE
These Advent Reflections
are offered
to the Glory of God,
in loving memory of
Sr. Patricia Forler, SSJD
and as a gift
to the extended
family of
the Sisterhood –
Associates, Oblates,
Companions
and many friends,
in thanksgiving
for our
Common Life
in Christ.
“We give thanks to God
and the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ,
praying always for you, ….”
Colossians 1: 3-4
Forward
Advent 2023
Waiting in Hope
When I was seven, my Irish grandmother brought me a souvenir from the Old Country, a small metal frame painted with a poem which I soon could say by heart, and like a fruitful lectio, it rises up in me when I need reminding.
Said the Robin to the Sparrow,
“I should really like to know
why these anxious human beings
rush about and worry so.”
Said the Sparrow to the Robin,
“Friend, I think that it must be
that they have no heavenly Father,
such as cares for you and me.”1
Though I didn’t know until recently, this conversation between birds is titled “Overheard in an Orchard”. Astute in their appraisal of the human condition, the curiosity of one precedes the pity of the other: clearly these humans have no Advocate – for had they, their lives would be unburdened.
There’s plenty in the world to cause distress, to send us rushing madly off in all directions weighed down with worry and fear, but we are called to live into the Hope that is ours.
Advent invites us into a time of expectant waiting by heralding the hope we long for. The coming of Emmanuel, whose very name means God-with-us, is echoed in this overheard conversation. Jesus came to teach us how to live and how to love – not from afar, but from right here, among us. St. Peter dares us to “always be ready to give an account for the hope that is in you”.2 This year marks the 10th year of these Advent messages and once again, each Oblate’s reflection can be read as a conversation overheard in the orchard of our daily lives.
Suggested readings are included with these entries. May they also be a source of hope in your daily devotions. As we journey on to Bethlehem, we welcome your company on the Way.
Frances Drolet-Smith
1Elizabeth Cheney. 1859
- Saturday, December 9, 2023
- Friday, December 8, 2023
- Thursday , December 7, 2023
- Wednesday, December 6, 2023
- Tuesday, December 5, 2023
REFLECTIONS FOR 2023 WILL APPEAR DAILY STARTING ON December 3, 2023
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