St Gregory’s Justice & Peace Group Advent Reflections 2017
1st Sunday of Advent
Each year the Justice and Group take the opportunity of the holy seasons of Lent and Advent to remind the parish that part of our Christian Ministry is to help and support people who are in need. The Catholic Church in England and Wales does this through its emphasis on Catholic Social Teaching and the promotion of Social Justice. Inspired by our Youth Group’s decision to support Mary’s Meals as their charity for Advent, our theme for this year’s Advent Reflections will focus on the poor and needy.
Pope Francis, in launching the inaugural World Day of the Poor on 19th November, established to encourage the world’s Christian community to become “an ever greater sign of Christ’s charity for the least and most in need", called on Catholics to focus on the poor in our society.
"This day is meant, above all, to encourage believers to react against a culture of discard and waste, and to embrace the culture of encounter," Pope Francis wrote in a message written to mark the day. "At the same time, everyone, independent of religious affiliation, is invited to openness and sharing with the poor through concrete signs of solidarity and fraternity. God created the heavens and the earth for all; yet sadly some have erected barriers, walls and fences, betraying the original gift meant for all humanity, with none excluded." In his message the Pope highlights how the early Christians were quick to serve the poor in obedience to Christ's proclamation that "the poor are blessed and heirs to the Kingdom of heaven".
The Holy Father goes on to look at how the modern world struggles to see poverty clearly, despite the fact that it surrounds us in so many ways, and states that we can't remain passive and resigned to it:
"Poverty challenges us daily, in faces marked by suffering, marginalization, oppression, violence, torture and imprisonment, war, deprivation of freedom and dignity, ignorance and illiteracy, medical emergencies and shortage of work, trafficking and slavery, exile, extreme poverty and forced migration. Tragically, in our own time, even as ostentatious wealth accumulates in the hands of the privileged few, often in connection with illegal activities and the appalling exploitation of human dignity, there is a scandalous growth of poverty in broad sectors of society throughout our world."
In this first week of Advent perhaps we could consider two questions to meet the challenge of concrete signs of solidarity and fraternity with the poor:
• Do I look out for the stranger and offer friendship and support?
• What changes might I make to my current lifestyle to focus more fully on the needs of others?
2nd Sunday of Advent
This week’s reflection continues the theme of the poor and needy in the context of the Youth Group’s support of the Mary’s Meals charity which believes every child deserves an education and enough to eat.
Today’s Gospel (and next week’s) presents the figure of John the Baptist. We often only see John as the one who prepared the way for the real thing, the person of Jesus, but Jesus himself says ‘John is greater than anyone who has lived’.(Luke 7.18) So it is always worthwhile listening to him.
John’s message about Jesus’ coming also included demands for social justice, just like the Old Testament prophets he followed. Listen to John’s words in Luke 3.11 ….’whoever has two shirts must give one to the man who has none, and whoever has food must share it’.
When Jesus says in Chapter 7 of Luke that John was the greatest he goes on to say that ‘…the one who is least in the kingdom of God is greater than him’
This is why it is so appropriate that our Youth Group is asking us to support Mary’s Meals this Advent. Children in Our Lord’s time were considered to be the ‘least’. They had no standing in law and no protection from wider society. They were seen as without any rights and no one was responsible for them except their parents. Yet Jesus leaves us in no doubt about their importance ‘…whoever welcomed a little child in my name welcomed me.’
So if we are to follow the example of John the Baptist and include action for social justice in our Advent preparation for the coming of the baby Jesus, what better focus than supporting our own young people in helping to feed and educate those children who are most in need, ‘the least’ who are greater than all of us in his kingdom.
Two key actions we could consider in this second week of Advent are:
• Donate other money or goods for Mary’s Meals in either the cash box or leaving goods at the back of church
• Are there individual children in your family or neighbourhood you could help?
3rd Sunday of Advent
Today again the Church in the Gospel presents us with the great figure of John the Baptist. As we reflected on him last week we saw how his invitation to prepare for Jesus’ coming was deeply intertwined with a plea for social action.
In this John followed the example of the great prophets of the Old Testament. The prophet Isiah in today’s first reading describes his own mission in words we all know by heart and can even sing: ‘ he has sent me to bring good news to the poor, tell prisoners they are prisoners no more….’
The importance of these words is that they are taken up by Jesus and applied to what he is about Himself. He quotes them directly as he begins his ministry of preaching in the synagogue in Nazareth. (Luke 4 18-19)
This Sunday marks the end of the first part of Advent, so it is a good day to look back over the last two weeks and ask how our own actions have reflected what Jesus said was the heart of his own mission, bringing good news to the least.
In the second half of Advent, from today onwards, the readings at Mass change their focus. If we are lucky enough to be able to get to Mass on weekdays we will hear the great stories leading directly to the birth of Jesus, the Annunciation, the Visitation and the parallel stories around the birth of John the Baptist.
We too can change our focus to a more direct opening of ours in thanks to Our Lord’s birth. But how much more meaningful our prayers of preparation for the birth of the Child will be if they have been intertwined with our actions for children across the world who hunger for food and knowledge.
- Written by Paul Carroll’s brother, Philip.
1st Sunday of Advent
Each year the Justice and Group take the opportunity of the holy seasons of Lent and Advent to remind the parish that part of our Christian Ministry is to help and support people who are in need. The Catholic Church in England and Wales does this through its emphasis on Catholic Social Teaching and the promotion of Social Justice. Inspired by our Youth Group’s decision to support Mary’s Meals as their charity for Advent, our theme for this year’s Advent Reflections will focus on the poor and needy.
Pope Francis, in launching the inaugural World Day of the Poor on 19th November, established to encourage the world’s Christian community to become “an ever greater sign of Christ’s charity for the least and most in need", called on Catholics to focus on the poor in our society.
"This day is meant, above all, to encourage believers to react against a culture of discard and waste, and to embrace the culture of encounter," Pope Francis wrote in a message written to mark the day. "At the same time, everyone, independent of religious affiliation, is invited to openness and sharing with the poor through concrete signs of solidarity and fraternity. God created the heavens and the earth for all; yet sadly some have erected barriers, walls and fences, betraying the original gift meant for all humanity, with none excluded." In his message the Pope highlights how the early Christians were quick to serve the poor in obedience to Christ's proclamation that "the poor are blessed and heirs to the Kingdom of heaven".
The Holy Father goes on to look at how the modern world struggles to see poverty clearly, despite the fact that it surrounds us in so many ways, and states that we can't remain passive and resigned to it:
"Poverty challenges us daily, in faces marked by suffering, marginalization, oppression, violence, torture and imprisonment, war, deprivation of freedom and dignity, ignorance and illiteracy, medical emergencies and shortage of work, trafficking and slavery, exile, extreme poverty and forced migration. Tragically, in our own time, even as ostentatious wealth accumulates in the hands of the privileged few, often in connection with illegal activities and the appalling exploitation of human dignity, there is a scandalous growth of poverty in broad sectors of society throughout our world."
In this first week of Advent perhaps we could consider two questions to meet the challenge of concrete signs of solidarity and fraternity with the poor:
• Do I look out for the stranger and offer friendship and support?
• What changes might I make to my current lifestyle to focus more fully on the needs of others?
2nd Sunday of Advent
This week’s reflection continues the theme of the poor and needy in the context of the Youth Group’s support of the Mary’s Meals charity which believes every child deserves an education and enough to eat.
Today’s Gospel (and next week’s) presents the figure of John the Baptist. We often only see John as the one who prepared the way for the real thing, the person of Jesus, but Jesus himself says ‘John is greater than anyone who has lived’.(Luke 7.18) So it is always worthwhile listening to him.
John’s message about Jesus’ coming also included demands for social justice, just like the Old Testament prophets he followed. Listen to John’s words in Luke 3.11 ….’whoever has two shirts must give one to the man who has none, and whoever has food must share it’.
When Jesus says in Chapter 7 of Luke that John was the greatest he goes on to say that ‘…the one who is least in the kingdom of God is greater than him’
This is why it is so appropriate that our Youth Group is asking us to support Mary’s Meals this Advent. Children in Our Lord’s time were considered to be the ‘least’. They had no standing in law and no protection from wider society. They were seen as without any rights and no one was responsible for them except their parents. Yet Jesus leaves us in no doubt about their importance ‘…whoever welcomed a little child in my name welcomed me.’
So if we are to follow the example of John the Baptist and include action for social justice in our Advent preparation for the coming of the baby Jesus, what better focus than supporting our own young people in helping to feed and educate those children who are most in need, ‘the least’ who are greater than all of us in his kingdom.
Two key actions we could consider in this second week of Advent are:
• Donate other money or goods for Mary’s Meals in either the cash box or leaving goods at the back of church
• Are there individual children in your family or neighbourhood you could help?
3rd Sunday of Advent
Today again the Church in the Gospel presents us with the great figure of John the Baptist. As we reflected on him last week we saw how his invitation to prepare for Jesus’ coming was deeply intertwined with a plea for social action.
In this John followed the example of the great prophets of the Old Testament. The prophet Isiah in today’s first reading describes his own mission in words we all know by heart and can even sing: ‘ he has sent me to bring good news to the poor, tell prisoners they are prisoners no more….’
The importance of these words is that they are taken up by Jesus and applied to what he is about Himself. He quotes them directly as he begins his ministry of preaching in the synagogue in Nazareth. (Luke 4 18-19)
This Sunday marks the end of the first part of Advent, so it is a good day to look back over the last two weeks and ask how our own actions have reflected what Jesus said was the heart of his own mission, bringing good news to the least.
In the second half of Advent, from today onwards, the readings at Mass change their focus. If we are lucky enough to be able to get to Mass on weekdays we will hear the great stories leading directly to the birth of Jesus, the Annunciation, the Visitation and the parallel stories around the birth of John the Baptist.
We too can change our focus to a more direct opening of ours in thanks to Our Lord’s birth. But how much more meaningful our prayers of preparation for the birth of the Child will be if they have been intertwined with our actions for children across the world who hunger for food and knowledge.
- Written by Paul Carroll’s brother, Philip.
- When confronted by the many difficulties in the world we can easily feel overwhelmed. Perhaps these words of Pope Francis might help us to be reassured that if we all do something, however small, we can improve the lives of the people who need our help.
- In his encyclical “Laudato Si” Pope Francis wrote: St Theresa of Lisieux invites us to practise the little way of love, not to miss out on the kind word, a smile or any small gesture which sows peace and friendship. An integral ecology is also made up of simple daily gestures which break with the logic of violence, exploitation and selfishness....Love overflowing with small gestures of mutual care is also civic and political. And it makes itself felt in every action that seeks to build a better world.
