38. The Soul
Amidst the busyness of the final weeks of the school year, let us remember the ‘reason for the season’ as we prepare during this Advent season to celebrate the birth of Jesus. As the first of the Advent candles was lit at Mass last weekend, The Soul takes a look this week at the theme for the second week of Advent - Peace.
Fr Jeffrey Kirby, Senior contributor to the Catholic news service Crux, has contributed an article highlighting the centrality of Eucharist to our Advent preparations. Below is an excerpt from the article:
“In recognizing the liturgy as a sort of middle ground between the Lord’s First Coming and his Second Coming, we grasp more fully the purpose of worship. It teaches us gratitude and expectation, as well as a sacred waiting for the Lord, on his terms. In this way, good and attentive worship is an especially important part of Advent. While other devotions and traditions can be done, none of them can surpass a renewed concentration and diligence on the sacred liturgy.
Even the simple awareness that the Mass stands between time and eternity, and that both can be spiritually felt in the sacred liturgy, is an Advent exercise in acknowledging the presence, power, and providence of God. While many believers might take the liturgy for granted, its beauty, mystery, mosaic-like history, and its abundant graces are a year-long gift, as well as a particular Advent gift, to every Christian believer and person of open heart.
There can be no greater Advent preparation, therefore, than a deeper love and appreciation for the Breaking of the Bread, the Parousia, the Eucharist, the beautiful and amazing Catholic Mass.”
The Hebrew word for Peace is ‘Shalom’ which appears over 250 times in the Old Testament. While the two terms are interchangeable in today's usage, the HarperCollins Bible Dictionary notes that Shalom includes not only “the lack of war or conflict” (peace), but also “wholeness and wellbeing”. Shalom then, is an ideal for our individual lives and for God’s creation at large.
Today, we take refuge in Jesus Christ’s words: “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid” (John 14:27). Through God’s Holy Spirit we experience this peace which transcends all understanding and guards our hearts and minds (Philippians 4:7). But God does not mean for us to just sit back and indulge in this peace. He calls us to work along with the Spirit to restore God’s shalom here on Earth (Matthew 5:9).
As we reflect on God’s peace this Advent season, may we be reminded of our role to actively make peace as we await the fullness of God’s shalom through the second Advent of Jesus Christ. How can you help usher in God’s peace this Christmas season?
Adapted from Advent Peace.
Thanks go out to all the schools who contributed to this collaboration to create a video clip to accompany the latest Proclaim Lismore Wildfire release - Never Stop. It looks like there was a lot of fun involved in creating these clips and we are excited to share the finished product. Well done to the students and staff of the schools of the Lismore Diocese!
Check out the Never Stop school compilation video clip here.
- Check out this funky version of a well-known hymn, arranged by Zach Williams. This praise hymn will get you dancing - Go, Tell It on the Mountain.
- To help us reflect during this Advent season, enjoy another version of this timeless hymn - O Come, O Come, Emmanuel
- This beautiful, modern and soulful take on another classic hymn has the capacity to uplift any mood - How Great Thou Art.
Some encouragement for our schools from Christus vivit (Pope Francis, 2019):
- Catholic schools remain essential places for the evangelization of the young. Account should be taken of a number of guiding principles set forth in Veritatis Gaudium for the renewal and revival of missionary outreach on the part of schools and universities. These include a fresh experience of the kerygma, wide-ranging dialogue, interdisciplinary and cross-disciplinary approaches, the promotion of a culture of encounter, the urgency of creating networks and an option in favour of those who are least, those whom society discards. Similarly important is the ability to integrate the knowledge of head, heart and hands.
Check out this Instagram page from MacKillop College Youth Ministry.
- Draw close to Christ this Advent season with daily reflections and enrichment from FORMED Advent Reflections.
- Advent on FORMED - "It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas," or, at least that's the assumption based on that familiar holiday song. But what does that look like at your house? Most of us anticipate great sales, lights on the outside of our house, and decorating the inside of our homes. But how exactly are we preparing our hearts for the greatest gift we've ever been given? Through an exploration of the mystery of the Incarnation, the Virgin Birth, and the events surrounding the arrival of Jesus, this Advent study offers an opportunity to experience the joy of the true meaning of Christmas.
Click the image above to submit your prayer intentions. Each week the prayer intentions are passed onto the Carmelite Sister's at the Carmelite Convent in Goonellabah.
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Proclaim Lismore Staff
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