No beginning or end

0 Amens

Amen

At the beginning of this Mass, we blessed the Advent wreath and lit the first of four candles which it holds. As the weeks continue and we draw ever closer to Christmas, the increasing light of the Advent wreath is a reminder of the approach of our Saviour's birthday - the day when we celebrate his coming. More about the symbolism of light in the coming weeks.

Today, I'd like to focus on another aspect of the Advent wreath - the circle of green. The wreath is fashioned in a circle, symbolizing the fact that our God has no beginning and no end. It is green in colour, whether made of real branches or artificial ones, to remind us that in God, all things are new and that we find our source and reason for life in Him.

The passage taken from the book of the prophet Jeremiah which appears in today's first reading ( Jer33:14-16), reminds us that even for the Jewish people who lived before the time of Christ, God's plan to visit his people was foretold. Although the Jewish people agree that Jesus of Nazareth was a good man, and perhaps a prophet, they do not agree that he was Emmanuel, but Christians believe that Christ, the anointed one of God, came from heaven in the person of Jesus, as the incarnation of God among us.

Not only do we believe that God visited his people in the person of Jesus, but we also believe that he will come again, at the end of time. This same God who created us, and who came to us at a moment in time to show us the way to salvation, will also come again. When he comes again, Luke tells us that God will bring power and great glory (Lk 21:27). This will be a time for us to rejoice, to be proud of our spiritual heritage (Lk 21:28) and to celebrate the fulfillment of his promise.

Like the Advent wreath, our God has no beginning or end, but we are privileged to know Him because throughout our salvation history, he has revealed himself to us, and he will continue to do so until he takes us to himself. This period of Advent, at the beginning of this new liturgical year, is therefore a moment of grace for us to imitate his gestures of love in the way we love one another, in the moments we take to build unity.

The Holy Father, Benedict XVI travelled to Turkey this week, despite many warnings that his physical safety might be in jeopardy. Perhaps we too need to go beyond our own comfort zones in order to put into action, the words of Saint Paul's letter to the Thessalonians, heard in today's second reading, "May the Lord make you increase and abound in love for one another" ( 1 Thes 3:12).

May our gestures of reconciliation this week, whether large or small, help us to prepare our hearts for the celebration of Christmas.

Read More