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May the moments of Christmas,
open hearts wider to love and kindness,
softly whispering hope
for a gentler New Year.
May this Christmas season
fill your heart with peace,
wrapping you and your loved ones
in the warmth of love,
flowing gently
into all the days ahead in 2026.
-The Congregation of the Sisters of St. Joseph in Canada
Image: Kenny Eliason/Unsplash
The Hands that First Held Mary’s Child
Every year I look forward to this fourth Sunday of Advent. The readings finally bring us closer to the mystery of God being born among us. Some years there are only one or two days of preparation for the Great Feast. Very rarely do we have the opportunity to enjoy the full week of expectation.
On Friday of Week Three we began reading the account of the birth of Jesus according to St. Luke. That day we heard of the plight of Zechariah and Elizabeth as the angel announced they would birth a child in their old age. Luke continues in the Saturday reading announcing that Mary of Nazareth will also conceive – a child who will be holy and called the Son of God. There is a hint her of the man Joseph to whom she was engaged. Now, here we come to the Fourth Sunday of Advent, with a return to the gospel of Matthew and who do we find – a sleeping Joseph! The angel appears and settles Joseph’s concern about publicly dismissing the pregnant Mary. Joseph awakes from his sleep and takes Mary as his wife.
There is such a burst of surprise, wonder and awe in these birthing announcements. Frequently my prayer focuses on the feelings Elizabeth and Mary experienced in facing these wondrous events. More recently my thoughts are turning to Zechariah and Joseph in the midst of their struggles to believe. I share with you a hymn I have grown to love. Perhaps it will also help you move into the human reality of this mystery. Thomas Troeger the hymn text writer muses on what Joseph as man, as father may have felt, feelings that well-up as he cradles the child, as he is overwhelmed by the dream memory, as he gently holds the tiny form in his palms.
The tune that is suggested for this hymn text is RESIGNATION. You can find that in most hymn books. In Catholic Book of Worship III it is number 538.
-Sister Loretta Manzara, CSJ
The Hands that First Held Mary’s Child
Image: ian borg/Unsplash
The Responsorial Psalm for the liturgy of the Third Sunday of Advent carries the theme for the day. In fact, Psalm 146 outlines the reason for this holy season because we are promised one who will teach us about the transformation of all the ills of a society. Today, more than ever we need to cry out again and again, “Lord, come and save us.”
“It is the Lord who keeps faith forever,
Who executes justice for the oppressed;
Who gives food to the hungry.
The Lord sets the prisoners free.
The Lord opens the eyes of the blind
And lifts up those who are bowed down;
The Lord loves the righteous
And watches over the strangers.
The Lord upholds the orphan and the widow,
But the way of the wicked he brings to ruin.
The Lord will reign forever,
Your God, O Zion, for all generations.”
Lord, come and save us.
-Sister Elaine Cole, CSJ
Image: Vidar Nordli-Mathisen/Unsplash
Psalm 146 is a powerful declaration of God's character and compassionate actions, emphasizing His faithfulness, justice for the oppressed, provision for the hungry, liberation for prisoners, healing for the blind, support for the weak, love for the righteous, protection for foreigners, and care for the vulnerable (widows/orphans), concluding with His eternal reign and a call to praise Him. (AI Summary)
At the beginning of the year, Pope Francis opened the Jubilee Door to the pilgrims of the world to begin a Jubilee Year of Hope.
Today on this Second Sunday of Advent, St. Paul’s letter to the Romans 15:4-9 focuses our attention on Hope. The reading explains how the early patriarchs adhered to Scripture. The Scriptures encouraged them to be steadfast in their faith so that they “might have hope”. They lived their lives hoping for a promised Messiah who would bring them lasting peace.
In Matthew’s Gospel, John the Baptist is roaring in the wilderness “You brood of vipers. . . bear fruit worthy of repentance,” when he sees the Pharisees and the Sadducees coming to him. John, the last of the ancient prophets, proclaims that the one who is to come will baptize “with the Holy Spirit and with fire”.
Jesus was the fulfillment of the promises given to the patriarchs. Jesus came so that now we might live in harmony and praise the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ with one voice.
We are not there yet.
We still need “hope”, an energy that keeps us consciously engaged, alive and moving forward and at the same time keeps us patiently waiting, desiring, and longing. For what? Do we even know?
To live energized by hope and love could be the fire that makes us one earthly family, living in peace and harmony desiring the good of the other and sacrificing whatever it takes to sustain that “peace on Earth to all people of goodwill”. May our human family soon turn to Jesus, the Way, the Truth and the Life.
Teilhard de Chardin’s life discoveries considers love and hope as necessary energies moving the cosmos forward to greater consciousness and unity.
Hope is a reminder that a longing/desire has not yet been realized. Therefore, like Teihard we can agree that hope is an energy and that it keeps us consciously engaged, alive, and moving forward.
Years ago, Henri Nouwen gave a series of meditations on The Spirituality of Waiting and showed how all the people in the first two chapters of Luke’s Gospel were waiting in Hope—Zacharia, Elizabeth, Mary, Joseph, Anna, Simeon.
Jesus has fulfilled the promises given to the patriarchs. Jesus came so that now we might live in harmony and praise the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ with one voice.
We are not there yet. We still live in hope. During this season of Advent we are waiting, we are practicing living in hope by waiting in hope that someday soon we might live in harmony and praise the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ with one voice.
-Sister Elaine Cole, csj
Images: wisconsinpictures/Unsplash
On these dark November days, I have been thanking God for glorious sunrises, stargazing, Northern lights, and supermoons. This time of year, world religions celebrate Festivals of Light. For Christians, in this Advent season, we anticipate the celebration of the birth of Christ who is “the true light, the Light of the World.” In the beautiful prologue to John’s Gospel, we read: “The Light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not overcome it.”
The theme of darkness is a common thread running through the course of our lives. Darkness is a rich symbol in our spiritual life inviting us to grow and embrace our vulnerability. In her book “Radical Amazement”, Judy Cannato proclaims: “Life is a Mystery, shrouded in darkness. But the darkness is a place of possibility and power” leading to transformation. Even our body was formed in the darkness of our mother’s womb. When we were born, we passed from darkness into light. In fact, I was born on the Winter Solstice: Light and darkness are part of who I am. Since birth, I have had an inoperable cataract which means that while I have vision in my left eye, I cannot see with my right eye. I was given the precious gift of sight and light and not total blindness and darkness.
Whether a firefly, a flashlight, a porchlight, a bonfire, a fireplace, Christmas lights or Advent candles, we are drawn to the light. It brings comfort, penetrating our wounds. We can be sparks of light bringing hope to each other in the storms of life. Within us we carry our greatest treasure, the Christ-light. May we experience anew the Presence of the Cosmic Christ illuminating all of Creation. This Advent 2025, welcome the Light! Be the Light!
-Sister Kathleen O’Keefe, CSJ
Image: Waldemar Brandt/Paolo Nicolello/Unsplash
