"He tends his flock like a shepherd: He gathers the lambs in his arms and carries them close to his heart; he gently leads those that have young." (Isaiah 40:11)
The world marks the Advent Season 2023 in preparation for celebrating the divine birth of Lord Jesus Christ, the Savior of the world, at time when blood seeps through the Holy Land at a time when prayers are being recited in Churches seeking the Prince of Peace’s mercy to extricate this region and the entire world from the currently persistent imbroglio.
While Holy Masses are celebrated in Churches worldwide, the faithful plead with the Divine Mercy to silence guns and replace them with love, peace and mercy. The world is still making an eerie moan of despair while suffering from chronic ailments represented in global violence, wars, starvation, food shortages, unemployment, poverty, and diseases.
The Advent Season marks preparation for celebrating the divine birth of Lord Jesus Christ, the Savior of the world. At this time, peoples worldwide look forward to Christmas with eyes full of hope for the advent of global peace and mercy in line with the teachings of the Prince of Peace. Yet, eyes are also welling with tears while watching the world slipping into the abyss of the unknown.
Advent symbolizes the preparations to celebrate Lord Jesus Christ’s birth through prayer and reflection. It is time to contemplate the first coming of Jesus as Savior and await His promised second coming. Furthermore, amid the flurry of Christmas preparations, it is important to look for practical ways to observe the holiness of the season in our everyday lives.
A bird’s eye view on the world affairs, one finds wars continuing to rage in Ukraine, in the Holy Land, and elsewhere. Earthquakes have torn apart communities in Afghanistan, Syria, and Morocco while climate change and economic depression continue to impact food security for those who are most vulnerable. Amidst all these debacles, the Lord is always present and His mercy will sooner or later overwhelm the world and wipe the tears streaming down the eyes of the desperate and the hopeless by giving them the needed hope.
In the Advent season, no one should despair because with the celebration of the birth of Jesus, Emmanuel, God with us, the darkest hours of life will turn bright because He is the light of the world. During Advent, it is necessary to pray and remember the forcible displaced people who live in tents after losing their homes and have left behind every source of life especially in the Holy Land.
At any rate, the Lord is merciful and does not forsake all those who ask him to extend a helping hand, since if one loses everything in life but the Lord, then one will definitely have everything.
With global instability coinciding with Advent, we pray saying:
O God, author and giver of peace, in whose image and likeness each of us has been created with a human dignity worthy of respect on earth and destined for eternal glory, listen to the cry that rises from every corner of this fragile earth, from our human family torn by violent conflict. Give world leaders the wisdom to see beyond the boundaries of race, religion, and nation and establish permanent peace.
