A God who became so small could only be mercy and love/Un Dios que se hizo tan pequeño sólo podía ser misericordia y amor.—Saint Thérèse of Lisieux
In an article he wrote at the beginning of Advent Daniel P. Horan, OFM, pulled on a couple of essays by well known Trappist Monk Thomas Merton to challenge us to think more deeply about what we are celebrating during both the season of Advent as well as Christmas. Seeing many people turn these seasons into a time of superficial optimism and happy thoughts at the celebration of a birthday party for Jesus, Fr. Horan wrote, is not all these days are about. “This kind of thinking,” he sees, “does a disservice to the radicality of what it is we actually celebrate as a faith community that exists in a broken and troubled world.”
As Merton explains: The fact remains that our task is to seek and find Christ in our world as it is, and not as it might be. The fact that the world is other than it might be does not alter the truth that Christ is present in it and that his plan has been neither frustrated or changed: indeed, all will be done according to his will. Our Advent is the celebration of this hope. What is uncertain is not the “coming” of Christ but our own reception of him, our own response to him, our own readiness and capacity to “go forth and meet Him.”
The Christmas season may have come to an end but we can still “spend some time thinking about a celebration of hope that finds its meaning…[in] the powerful sign of divine love contained in God [willingly] entering the messiness, the painful, suffering, broken world in which we find ourselves,” as Fr. Horan said.
Showcasing SHA talent: These trees Alexa in 5th grade drew would have been great Christmas trees.
God bless,
Mrs. Alhadef
Campus Minister
5th Grade Aide