Deputy Principal Mission and Pastoral Care
The Season of Advent – ‘For the Lord is a God of Justice: happy are all who wait for him.’
Isaiah 30:18
In September Pope Francis visited Kazakhstan and during the seventh Congress of world and traditional religions, called for increased religious freedom and appealed for peace. He reminded us that God’s response to the spread of evil in the world was that He ‘gave us Jesus, who drew near to us in a way we could never have imagined.’ Each year during Advent as we prepare to celebrate the birth of Jesus we, as Christians, are marking the nativity but we are also choosing to celebrate the reception of Jesus in our heart as believers. We welcome the ‘drawing near’ of Jesus.
In our closing Liturgy for Year 7-12, we focused on the message of justice and dignity contained in the homily delivered on 21 December 1511 by Antonio de Montesinos. It was the fourth Sunday of Advent, and this humble Spanish Dominican friar on the island of Hispaniola (now the Dominican Republic and Haiti), with the backing of his Dominican community at Santo Domingo, preached against the enslavement and harsh treatment of the Indigenous peoples of the island. He was the first exponent of the rights of the Indians in the New World and criticised the practices of the Spanish colonial encomienda system. What an inspiring Advent message. Our liturgy challenged our students and staff to consider the impact such a message of dignity and justice might have in relation to First Nations Peoples, refugees and oppressed peoples around the world. As our student ministers noted, ‘this Advent season, may the light of Montesinos’ homily touch our hearts and allow us to consider how we can grow in honesty and integrity, for we know that many suffer immensely due to the greed and selfishness of others.’
At the close of this academic year, may the Blessings of Advent and Christmas be abundant for all our Santa Sabina families and may the heart of our Catholic Dominican community continue to beat as we take our summer break; refreshing and rejuvenating us all in readiness for 2023.
Father, this Advent, we eagerly await Jesus drawing near to us again. In a world that can feel overcome by the sins of violence, poverty and injustice, we pray that we can be instruments of peace and healing in Your name.
https://hallow.com/blog/advent-prayers-catholic-meditations/
Amen
Melanie van der Meer
Deputy Principal Mission and Pastoral Care