Advent 2024: Week 1 Reflection

May the Lord make you increase and abound in love for one another and for all… so as to strengthen your hearts.
- 1 Thessalonians 3:12a, 13a 

A Reflection
by Pat Tomich, Parishioner

As Advent begins a new liturgical year, it draws us into a season of hopeful anticipation. Together, we voice the ancient prayer: “O Come, O Come, Emmanuel.” The Advent Scriptures call us to reimagine the world anew, to look beyond fear and trust in God’s unfolding work. To live with hope requires courage beyond measure, for it is not rooted in comfort or ease. Instead, it beckons us to trust in the God who remains ever faithful—Emmanuel.

Today’s gospel from Luke does not ease us in with the gentle image of a child in a manger. Instead, it jolts us with prophetic imagery of upheaval: signs in the heavens, a trembling earth, and a fearful world. These are not endings, but birth pangs of profound transformation that reach into the depths of our hearts. 

In the chaos we may be experiencing, Jesus offers a bold directive: Do not be afraid. “Stand up and raise your heads, because your redemption is at hand.” These words break through the darkness with hope, reminding us that even in turmoil, God’s grace is already at work. The darkest moments herald the dawn of God’s new creation, calling each of us to radiate the light of Christ in times of darkness. It calls us to wakefulness, urging us to step out of fear and into deeper awareness of God’s presence. In doing so, we begin to experience hope breaking through.

To prepare for this new world is to trust in God’s grace already unfolding around us. Advent reminds us to live with active hope—hope rooted in God’s justice and mercy. As we contemplate this promise, we are anchored in God’s love, even amid the world’s turmoil.

​Advent challenges us to embrace transformation and to open our hearts and minds to the boundless redemption God offers—a redemption beyond our wildest imagination. Through prayer, reflection, and action, we are invited to envision a world renewed by God’s love. Let us prepare to recognize the light of Christ within us and radiate that light into the world.  “O Come, O Come, Emmanuel.” 

Pat takes delight in the communities with whom she ministers: Franciscan Sisters and Associates, Regina Dominican High School, the  St. Nicholas Campus, and UCYM.