Published on 23/11/2024
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Advent Reflections: Voices from the Church
Advent is a season of expectation and hope, inviting Christians to prepare their hearts for the coming of Christ. These reflections, drawn from Pope Francis, saints, and renowned Catholic writers, offer profound insights into the spiritual richness of this liturgical time. Their words illuminate the themes of waiting, vigilance, and joy that define Advent, encouraging believers to live this season with faith and active anticipation.
- Pope Francis:
- “Advent is a time to prepare our hearts to welcome Christ, who comes to us in humility, in simplicity, and in love.” (Angelus Address, 1 December 2013)
- “Let us not forget that in our lives as Christians, the Lord comes. Let us allow Him to enter, preparing ourselves with vigilance and prayer during Advent.” (Homily, 2 December 2018)
- St. Bernard of Clairvaux:
- “We know that the coming of the Lord is threefold: in the flesh, in our hearts, and in glory. The first is history, the second is mystery, and the third is majesty.” (Sermons on Advent)
- St. Augustine:
- “Wake up, O man! For your sake God became man. Rise from your slumber; the time for salvation is here.” (Sermon 185 on Advent)
- St. John Paul II:
- “Advent is the time of promise; it is the time of hope. It is not yet the time of fulfillment, but it is the time of waiting with confidence for that fulfillment.” (Angelus Address, 29 November 1998)
- St. Teresa of Ávila:
- “Hope, O my soul, hope. You know neither the day nor the hour. Watch carefully, for everything passes quickly, even though your impatience turns a very short time into a long one.”
- St. Alphonsus Liguori:
- “Consider the great love which Jesus Christ has shown us in coming from Heaven to earth in order to help us. Let us, therefore, prepare ourselves to receive Him with love in this holy time of Advent.” (The Incarnation, Birth, and Infancy of Jesus Christ)
- Henri Nouwen:
- “Waiting is not a passive thing. It is an active waiting in which we live the present moment to the full, in order to find there the signs of the One we are waiting for.” (The Path of Waiting)