Advent Recollection:How do I prepare for the coming of Jesus?
The Advent Recollection was one of the activities organized for NBVM and SCIC parishioners in various languages in preparation for the celebration of Christmas. The Mandarin recollection had Taize and a healing session conducted by Rev. Fr. Louis Loi (Asst. Parish Priest) while the Tamil session was conducted by Rev. Fr. Dom and Alfred. On 9 December, the English session was conducted by Stephen Chin, the PPC Chairperson with Rev. Fr. Dom at Sts. Chasten and Imbert.
About 40 parishioners gathered at SCIC conference room for recollection where Fr. Dom kicked off the session by saying the Opening Prayer followed by a medley of carols. “Advent marks the beginning of a new liturgical calendar and a time of expectant waiting for the coming of Christ” said Stephen Chin.
He added that there are three “coming of Jesus”. In the first two weeks of advent, we hear of Jesus coming as the judge and triumphant king. In the last two weeks of advent, we hear of the promise of Emmanuel, the child Jesus. The third coming of Jesus as preached by St. Bernard Clairvaux is Jesus coming alive in us. It challenges to reflect on the hope, peace, joy and love that Christ brings through our lives; a call to make a place for Jesus in our lives; a call to ‘spiritual spring cleaning’ through the sacrament of reconciliation and a call for moderation.
To awaken the hearts, participants were divided into groups to discuss the following:
- What are the gifts we can give to Jesus and to one another this season?
- How can we make a place for Jesus in our homes and in the outside world?
Some shared that they prepare little gifts to be distributed to vendors in the market while some spend time listening and uplifting people in their lives’ struggles and challenges. There are also some who help migrant workers financially and another helping put up Christmas tree and buying presents for relatives. It was indeed edifying to know that the gospel is alive through the goodwill of people.
In continuation to this Fr. Dom who had just returned from his pilgrimage to the Holy Land, shared his Christmas journey in Jerusalem. He said that the Christmas is an invitation of Hope. With colouful slides he led the participants on a spiritual journey through the early days of Jesus in Palestine. Beginning with the Basilica of the Annunciation in Nazareth, Israel; which was also the house of Mary; one can see statues of Mary from different parts of the world. Following that was the Church of Visitation where Mary journeyed to visit Elizabeth and the beautiful hymn of praise and thanksgiving – the Magnificat has been translated into the languages of different countries that sponsored them. The journeyed continued into the Shepherd’s Field Chapel, in which the backdrop portrayed the shepherd’s jubilation after their encounter with the Child Jesus at the stable in Bethlehem. In the distance, one can see a drawing of the crib. Next, was the church of the Nativity, where a small door leads into the church. Everyone who wants to enter it, must bow low in humility to seek the child Jesus. Inside the church, the pilgrims are given only a few seconds to pay homage to the place where Jesus was born. Fr. Dom also explained that the Holy Land is now controlled by the Palestinian authorities.
To sum up, Fr. Dom shared on how we can prepare for the coming of Jesus into our hearts and lives through (i) 5 minutes of reading LK 1: 5 to Lk 2: 20 (ii) 5 minutes of meditation on the great love of God for us (iii) an encounter of God’s loving mercy through the sacrament of reconciliation (iv) bringing Christ to others and our loved ones. He encouraged everyone to spruce up their homes and to put up a Christmas tree to announce the coming of Christ who has come to bring hope, peace, joy and love. (by Anne Marie Yap and Sheila Rose Darmaraj).