Awaiting the Promised One

Everyone longs to be happy in life. Yet, at times we allow ourselves to be deceived and begin chasing external things that please our senses but never truly satisfy them. As a result, once we obtain something, we soon turn our attention to something else. True joy comes from within. True joy springs from the conviction that, despite everything happening around us, our inner joy remains untouched. On the Third Sunday of Advent, Gaudete Sunday, the Church reminds us of how much we have to rejoice. We rejoice because our Saviour is near. Above all, however, we rejoice because through the coming of Jesus, God the Father reminds us that we are truly loved. Yes, you are deeply loved by God, so much so that the Father sends his Son, Jesus, to assure you of his love. What great joy fills our hearts when we are convinced that we are loved by him! Saint George Preca teaches us that joy of heart helps us to serve God with greater zeal, enabling us to carry out good works with greater perfection and thus merit their reward. In this way, by serving God with joy, we hope to persevere in doing good. Let us pray with Saint George Preca: Lord God, make me rejoice in your peace.   Take a moment for personal reflection on the Third Sunday of Advent: How is God helping me find true joy inside myself, rather than in things around me? How does knowing that God loves me deeply help me deal with the difficulties and worries of everyday life? How can I serve God with more joy?

The doctrine of the Immaculate Conception refers to a singular privilege granted to the Virgin Mary at the very outset of her existence. Through a special divine favor and anticipating the saving merits of her Son, Jesus Christ, Mary was preserved free from the taint of original sin from the first moment of her conception. This exceptional state meant that she was conceived and born without sin. This singular grace is highlighted by the angelic salutation, "Ave, gratia plena" or "Hail, full of grace," confirming that Mary was fully adorned with sanctifying grace. Unlike other humans who inherit original sin, Mary began her life already possessing this "precious gift" which makes a soul pleasing to God and a child of God. Furthermore, Mary diligently maintained this grace, actively cooperating with it through a holy life and increasing it every moment, allowing her to overflow with merits for heaven. This spiritual richness was noted by theologians like St. Augustine, who taught that the Mother of God was more blessed by conceiving Christ in her heart through sanctifying grace than through bearing him physically in her womb. Her perfect sanctity exemplifies the destiny promised to those who receive and cherish this transformative grace, making her a joint heir with Christ. Let us pray that, through the intercession of Mary, the Immaculate Conception, we may receive the grace to remember that grievous sin deprives us of God’s grace, and to never delay in seeking purification of heart in the Sacrament of Penance whenever we fall.

We are in the Second Sunday of Advent, which invites us to listen once more to the voice of John the Baptist calling in the desert: “Prepare the way of the Lord, make straight his paths!” This Sunday reminds us of the gift of peace which only Jesus, the Prince of Peace, can give us. For Christ’s presence, and therefore his peace, to reign in our hearts, we must make a deliberate effort to cultivate peace. We need to invite God into our daily lives through prayer, through small acts of love, through a kind word spoken to someone who needs to hear it, through forgiveness and reconciliation. Peace is built upon these choices; it does not come about by chance. The peace of Jesus is not a guarantee that we will be spared confusion or trouble, but the certainty that he will always be with us. Peace comes from knowing that God is with us: Emmanu-el. During this Advent, let us strive to practise actions that may seem simple, yet through them we can cultivate peace. St George Preca offers us some advice on how to cultivate peace in our hearts: Quickly dismiss any thought that disturbs you, for it does not come from the God of Peace. Keep order in everything, so that order may keep you in peace. Cherish silence both in your thoughts and in your speech. Pray to God to grant you peace always, for only the Lord makes true peace. Avoid anxiety and do not dwell on what you might have done or what might have happened. Keep in mind that everything in this world passes: joy and sorrow, suffering and delight. Every small gesture you make becomes like a stone laid on the path which the Lord will walk upon to enter your heart and grant you his peace. St George Preca teaches us: “Exchange the peace of your heart for no one and for nothing.” Prayer Jesus, you are the Prince of Peace and my peace! Renew my heart so that it may be open to your grace! Reign in it and make me an instrument of your peace in my family, in my workplace, and wherever we may be!

Advent invites us to pray “Come, Lord Jesus!” and to live with a sense of hopeful waiting. It reminds us that life is not meant to feel completely finished or perfect just yet. Instead, we keep our hearts open, trusting that God will bring true fulfilment in his own time. This spirit of waiting helps us stay awake, aware, and ready for grace. We lose this Advent attitude when we expect others, or life itself, to meet all our demands. If we insist that our worries must disappear or that everything should work out exactly as we imagine, we close ourselves off from hope. Asking “Why did this happen to me?” prevents us from accepting God’s larger, more generous picture. Saying “Come, Lord Jesus!” is an act of trust. It means choosing to live with patience, even when things are unresolved, and still finding peace. Christian hope believes that Jesus has already met us in our past struggles and will come again. Because of this, the prayer is not a cry of fear but a confident expression of hope for the whole world. Take a moment for personal reflection on this First Sunday of Advent: Do you think you are really ready to give up your life not to offend God grievously when you commit venial sin in order to avoid some correction or reproach? Can you honestly say you know God deeply if you feel no desire to give your whole life to him, the very One you seek? Is your patience genuine if you show it only to those you prefer or only when it suits you? Can you call yourself loving if your kindness extends only to those who already love you? If you were sincerely humble, would you find anything in yourself that you believe deserves praise or admiration?

“How long is this queue going to take?”, “I’ve been stuck in traffic for ages!”, “When will this lecturer ever stop talking?” These are questions and phrases we often hear around us, born out of unwanted and sometimes prolonged waiting. If we look at the Bible, we find several figures who waited, some with joy, others with sorrow. Among them we meet Abraham and Sarah, waiting for a child; Zechariah, struck dumb as he awaits the birth of John alongside Elizabeth; and Mary, awaiting the birth of the Messiah. At the same time, we find Job lamenting before God, weighed down by his waiting in times of hardship. Indeed, he says: “Like a slave longing for the shade, or a hired worker waiting for their wages, so I have been allotted months of futility, and nights of misery have been assigned to me. When I lie down I think, ‘How long before I get up?’ The night drags on, and I toss and turn until dawn.” (Job 7:2–4) Yet in this time of waiting, we also find fertile ground for prayer. Out of joy, Mary is moved to praise the Lord through her Magnificat; Elizabeth rejoices in what the Lord has done for her; while Job, in his pain, pours out his heart before God. A clear example of prayer in waiting is Jesus himself, who, as he awaited his passion, “knelt down and prayed” in deep anguish in the Garden of Gethsemane (Luke 22:44). Like these figures, we too often find ourselves waiting, sometimes joyfully, sometimes sorrowfully. As we see in these Biblical events, the works of God frequently require waiting that is far from easy. Whether we are discerning our vocation, striving to be formed, or walking through life seeking to grow continually in love for God, such waiting can stir restlessness within us. However, our response should be to commit ourselves wholeheartedly to prayer. In doing so, while we wait, we live the present moment with serenity, as our Mother Mary did, while our soul “magnifies the Lord” (Luke 1:46). In this way, our waiting will not be empty or burdensome, but consoling, filling our hearts with the joy that only God can give. Bernard Pullicino SDC Candidate

On the last Sunday of the liturgical year, we celebrate the feast of Jesus, King of all Creation. It was Pope Pius XI who, in 1925 through the encyclical Quas Primas, written after the First World War, desired that this feast be established. Pius XI wished to remind the faithful that true peace and human dignity flow from recognising the spiritual kingship of Christ, whose authority surpasses every earthly power or ideology. The Solemnity of Our Lord Jesus Christ, King of the Universe, confirms not only Christ’s spiritual reign within the Church, but also our hope in his kingdom, which will be brought to fulfilment over all creation. Our King, unlike any human ruler, is a king who serves,  a king of justice and truth, of mercy, love, and peace. He is the greatest of all beings, for all things were created through him and for him. He is the beginning and the end, in whom dwells the fullness of all creation. He is the only way, the truth, and the life. Let us continue to pray to our Lord Jesus that his kingdom may come upon the earth! Let us ask him to grant us the grace to recognise him as the sovereign of our hearts, and to accept us as members of his kingdom. Jesus Christ of Nazareth, King of all creation, the only-begotten Son of the living God and of the Virgin Mary, pour out upon us and upon all humanity the grace you have won for us through your death and resurrection. Amen.