59. The Soul
As we come to the end of another huge year, we are graced with time to rest, recover and reconnect with God’s creation, looking for hope-filled signs of God’s love, care and attention. Let’s delight in finding signs of God’s love in all things, especially in surprising and unexpected places.
The Soul will return in 2022 with more prayer, formation, music and resources. May all of our readers have a blessed, holy and happy Christmas and a restful break over the Christmas season. The theme in this final edition of The Soul, during this season of Advent, is hope.
I wait for the Lord, my soul waits, and in his word I hope.
Psalm 130:5
Did you set up your Christmas tree early this year? In amongst the drizzly rain (and wet washing!), pulling out the sparkling, happy ornaments reminds us of Christmases past and can’t help but fill us with childlike delight, joy and hope for good things to come. Perhaps you are more of a traditionalist and waited for the first Sunday of Advent.
Last Sunday we gathered as a community of faith, listened to scripture encouraging us to prepare for the coming of the Saviour and lit the first candle on the Advent wreath: The candle of hope.
This year has been another big one: lockdowns, family separation, floods and extreme weather events, community division around vaccinations, the Plenary Council, COP 26… even nuclear submarines! A few years ago, Chris Lowney shared with our Diocese an acronym that was developed by US Army students to describe the world during the Cold War: VUCA - Volatility, Uncertainty, Complexity and Ambiguity. We can certainly apply this to our current world predicament. Within our Church context, Pope Francis says, “We are not living in an era of change, but a change of era.”
So how will we react to these changes and challenges? It is a personal choice that we need to make every day. It is easy to become fatigued, bitter and resentful and it is normal and healthy to recognise and acknowledge these feelings. But we also need resilience, faith, trust and hope for the future.
There are many stories in the bible that seemed like hopeless situations - the Israelites wandering in the Desert for 40 years, wars, floods, famines and crucifixion. What we need to remember from these stories is that God never breaks His promises. He never forsakes His people. God’s plan always defies human expectations.
This Advent, as we commence our new Liturgical Year, may we be graced with our own personal epiphanies and learn to find signs of God’s grace, love and hope in all things. God is found in unexpected places and working through unexpected people. And so we wait with hope-filled hearts for God to bring about a future that is as surprising as the Messiah, God of the universe, coming to us as a small, helpless infant... as surprising as a crucified man rising from the dead.
To listen to all the music Wildfire has released this year, make sure to add Wildfire21 to your Spotify Playlists. Enjoy Wildfire’s new music video of ‘Have You Heard’, their latest release from the Storm + Ocean EP featuring young adults and clergy who live out the core message of this track in their everyday lives, sharing the good news of Jesus Christ.
If you have enjoyed a song or two featured in The Soul this year, make sure to add Praying With Music 2021 to your Spotify playlists.
- Joy to the World (Phil Wickham) - A classic carol that celebrates the joy and sovereignty of God. Let us rejoice in God’s faithfulness and how Jesus’ birth delivers salvation to the earth.
- We Need Christmas (Matthew West) - “We need Christmas now more than ever to bring us together” - May this Christmas season bring joy, peace, hope, and love into our lives.
- Songs of Hope Medley (Saddleback Worship) - Let’s delight in finding signs of God’s love in all things, especially in surprising and unexpected places.
- Go Tell It on the Mountain (Zach Williams) - There’s no way you’ll be able to stay in your seat listening to this one! Dance away and share the joy of Christmas!
- Australian Catholic Bishops endorse Uluru From the Heart Statement. The Uluru Statement has the support of the Australian Catholic Bishops. Positive change is in the air.
- Year 5 Exuro Retreats - It has been great to see our schools running the Year 5 Exuro Retreat in-house. Thank you to the leaders for providing this opportunity to your students and thank you to the students for your participation.
- STARRS Productions - After a series of rescheduled shows due to COVID-19, we finally had the cast of STARRS Productions visiting our schools last week to perform the ‘Young Mary’ and ‘Catherine McAuley’ shows. There has been great feedback from the performances and we are looking forward to hosting STARRS Productions in our Diocese again next year.
- Sick of bad news stories? - ABC has a page of Good News stories- interesting, informative and hope-filled! https://www.abc.net.au/news/good-news/
- Christmas with the Chosen Trailer - To launch the Christmas season this December, The Chosen has created a special episode about the birth of Christ through the eyes of Mary and Joseph, mixed with an extraordinary lineup of musicians singing new and classic Christmas carols, including musicians featured on The Soul such as Phil Wickham, Brandon Lake, Maverick City Music and Matt Maher. Here is last year’s Christmas Special.
- Hope - The Bible Project. In the Bible people who have hope are very different from optimists! In this video, they explore how biblical hope looks to God’s character alone as a basis for trusting that the future will be better than the present.
- Advent Resources: Caritas Australia -Caritas Australia’s resources are divided into the four weeks of Advent. Explore the themes of hope, peace, joy and love as you reflect on the Gospel, pray, learn about the people that Caritas Australia serves and take action. There are resources for parish groups, children’s liturgy, youth ministry, secondary schools and primary schools.
- Australian Catholics Advent Resources Guide - Use our Diocesan subscription to access resources that might be helpful in engaging students in reflection and conversation around Advent and Christmas.
- Advent on Formed - Ideas to make the most of FORMED this Advent.
- The Bridge - The Bridge is one of the primary resources of the National Centre for Evangelisation, an agency of the Australian Catholic Bishops Conference. It seeks to serve those who are striving to share their Catholic faith. Published electronically every two months, it provides stories of inspiration and faith formation. It will keep you up-to-date with Catholic events and resources.
- The Christmas Story - A heartwarming retelling of the Christmas Story by children from St Pauls, Auckland.
All staff in Catholic Schools in the Diocese of Lismore receive The Soul by email. The link in these emails can be forwarded and shared with family and friends. Alternatively, use this form to subscribe as an additional reader to The Soul mailing list.