Advent

The Life: As a child, "waiting for Christmas was not irksome but a magical time filled with anticipation," one sister writes. " Waiting was possible because I trusted in God's promise of something wonderful."

Contemplate This - Fall, with its brilliant display of color as it says goodbye, teaches us that for the new to come something must change. It offers us a way of being as we await the future.

Because I am a person of faith, I seek to understand who God is. However, theology can say only so much, as it is rational — and reason has its limits. We also need the intuition of poets to express what reason cannot.

We can reject the isolation of seasonal busyness and perfectionism and celebrate our need to connect with others. This season, I am leaning into the fact that I am enough, just as I am, and that I am exactly where I need to be in the order of the world.

Kindly keep your physical eyes closed and inner eyes wide open. Decorations may sparkle this time of year, but pain and injustice abound. This pandemic Advent has brought a new light of interconnectedness and solidarity among people of goodwill who fearlessly advocate for peace and betterment of all.

The pandemic continues to show us that technology can be a lifeline, connecting humans to each other and critical services and care. The connectedness comes with a responsibility: to know the other and be part of their world — virtual and real.

Horizons - As we reflect on the story of Christmas and prepare ourselves for Christ's coming in that moment, it's a good reminder that, like the shepherds, we are not the main character. We are not the Light. Jesus is.

For Filipino Catholics, Simbang Gabi is primarily an expression of filial devotion to the Virgin Mary. They accompany her for nine days as she anticipates the birth of her son. The novena helps Filipinos appreciate their faith more fully, prompts them to meditate on God's love and draws people closer to Jesus Christ.