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Advent Reflections

Advent is the season when we sing, "O Come, O Come Emmanuel!" It is a time when we are called to actively wait and watch for the coming of "our God with us." But it is also one of the busiest times of the semesters!

Campus Ministry invites you to take time out to reflect during this Advent season with "Reflect Emmanuel: A Series of Advent Meditations on Our God with Us." Written and artistic reflections will post to this page each weekday. We hope you will take a few minutes out of your busy schedule to contemplate our God with us during this Advent Season!

December 23, 2011 - Jordan Coulombe, Class of 2012, Student Government Association President

For most of us the holiday season is a respite, a break, a chance to be reunited with family and friends, the various loved ones who make our world a little brighter. It is fitting that during this time, when we are surrounded by love, that we reflect on what love actually is.

The Merriam-Webster dictionary contains nine definitions of love, each accurate in its own way, but none encompassing what that word, loaded in meaning and significance, truly is. Love is in many ways an enigma, beyond definition and comprehension: How can we find love when we see tragedy around us? How can we find love in a world that, at times, seems so chaotic and unrelenting? It is at these times that we truly need love.

But we can develop an illusion that love can only exist between a close group of individuals, family, friends, a significant other. Although love is present in all of these, it is foolish to suggest that love can't be present everywhere. Love is not some grand illusion, something unattainable; love is within all of us. The only time when we really understand love is when we embody, give or receive it. At its very core love is the essence of human interaction and humanity itself. Love is a kind word, a generous thought, an otherwise simple action that allows us to surpass those differences that make us all wonderful and become united as one in the grace of God.

We are told that man was created in God's image, and our capacity to love and be loved proves this to be true. Love is the greatest gift that we can bestow on one another, transcending tragedy, hate, loss, oppression, fear... With love, we possess the power to shift mountains and change lives. It is this ability to love that makes us human, and, in our unique and clumsy way, divine. For without love what are we? As Saint Paul writes in his first letter to the Corinthians, without love we are nothing: "If I speak in the tongues of men or of angels, but do not have love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing. If I give all I possess to the poor and give over my body to hardship that I may boast,[b] but do not have love, I gain nothing." (1 Corinthians 13:1-3)

It is with this in mind that I challenge you to ask yourself if you have loved today, and not just your family or your friends, but all of those around you who are in need of your love. Have you embraced the mysteries of the divine and incomprehensible with an act as simple as a kind word, a just action or a heartfelt presence? This power resides in all of us, this power to change our world, one day, one moment at a time. For in those moments we can see those words, "Emmanuel, our god with us" ring true with an indomitable certainty, and it is those moments when we embrace that about us which is most human, and we become exceptional.

December 22, 2011 - Carolyn A. Caveny, Associate Director of Academic Advising

Take some time to consider how poetry connects us in significant ways to the mystery and majesty of the universe, as we experience Advent, the Winter Solstice, and Hanukkah.

"Praying" by Mary Oliver

It doesn't have to be
the blue iris, it could be
weeds in a vacant lot, or a few
small stones; just
pay attention, then patch

a few words together and don't try
to make them elaborate, this isn't
a contest but the doorway

into thanks, and a silence in which
another voice may speak.

December 21, 2011 - Crista Carrick Mahoney, Campus Minister for Education and Social Justice

(Zep 3:14-18A)

Shout for joy, O daughter Zion!

Sing joyfully, O Israel!

Be glad and exult with all your heart,

O daughter Jerusalem!

The LORD has removed the judgment against you,

he has turned away your enemies;

The King of Israel, the LORD, is in your midst,

you have no further misfortune to fear.

On that day, it shall be said to Jerusalem:

Fear not, O Zion, be not discouraged!

The LORD, your God, is in your midst,

a mighty savior;

He will rejoice over you with gladness,

and renew you in his love,

He will sing joyfully because of you,

as one sings at festivals.

The first reading today from the Prophet Zephaniah is one of my favorites during Advent. "Shout for joy, O daughter Zion!" There is something about the uncontained joy in the prophet's words that paints a picture of pure and passionate wonder over God's great works.

It reminds me of Miriam, one of the great women in the Bible who rejoices with the Israelites in the Book of Exodus, right after they have made it across the Red Sea, liberated from slavery in Egypt. Moses sings praise to Yahweh, and Miriam, his sister, picks up her tambourine and, like the pied piper, leads the women to dance and sing. Zephaniah's words today make me want to pick up my own tambourine and dance for joy to one of the Celtic Christmas carols we listen to so often at this time of year in my family.

Zephaniah's words come at a welcome time. After four weeks of waiting during Advent, they herald the coming of Christ, who in only a few days will break into our world in a new way on Christmas, liberating us again. I think that is why I love this reading so much - every year, it speaks to the promise of a new year, new life, new beginnings in a way that brings me back to my own childhood, when I could barely contain myself as I awoke on Christmas morning. I wanted to shout and dance and sing!

This year, I have a new understanding of the words "Shout for joy, O daughter Zion!" as I watch my own five-month old daughter shout and laugh and giggle in glee over a game of peek-a-boo with her dad before bed. It is in her that I experience new beginnings and new life, seeing this season with new eyes, and literally dancing for joy with her as we listen to Christmas carols in the kitchen every night. Perhaps this is the year I will get a tambourine for Christmas.

December 20, 2011 - Laura Giannotti, Emmanuel College, Class of 2013 and Alicia Giannotti, Wheelock College, Class of 2013

(Laura and Alicia Giannotti with Brother Everest and Kevron:
Kevron recently received heart surgery and has no known family)

My sister and I have gone down to Kingston, Jamaica three times for a mission trip. We work with the Missionaries of the Poor brothers who care for the poor and destitute. With seven centers, the brothers care for countless people. There are elderly men and women, HIV/AIDS victims, men, women, and children with mental and/or physical disabilities, and those who are simply abandoned. The children, with the exception of only a few, are all bedridden and mute. Every year we fall in love with the residents we are serving, especially the children.

For this week of Advent, we are asked to think about love.

What is Love?
For us...
Love is friendship.
Love is feeding the hungry.
Love is clothing and looking after the poor.
Love is washing one's face.
Love is playing with the children.
Love is sharing hope with others.
Love is teaching one to walk or sit up.
Love is silence in a room.
Love is a smile from an abandoned child.
What does love mean to you?
What will you do with this extraordinary
gift from God?

(Laura and Nicole: Nicole has cerebral palsy, and cannot speak but is going to school now)

(Alicia and Giovani: Giovani cannot walk or talk but his family visits him occasionally)

December 19, 2011 - Damita Davis, Director of Multicultural Programs

For me, the holiday season has always been about connecting with family. No matter where we are or what we're doing, we always make time to be with each other. It's not always easy, especially coming from a big family. Can you image the difficulty we have trying to cram up to 30 people into a small three bedroom apartment with one bathroom? And that's just a third of my family; but somehow, we make it work. We reminisce on times long ago, the people we have lost and the new additions to our family. We eat, open presents, eat some more, then start all over again as more family members arrive at the designated gathering spot. It has been my comfort and soft place to land over the years. It's our expression of LOVE for one another.

Ironically, LOVE is this week's advent theme. How blessed am I to have to opportunity to reflect on this theme through the LOVE of family in the words of God? He gave me just what I needed. Today's responsorial Psalm, spoke to me. Loudly!

My mouth shall be filled with your praise, and I will sing our glory!

Be my rock of refuge

a stronghold to give me safety,

for you are my rock and my fortress.

O my God, rescue me from the hand of the wicked.

(Ps 71:3-4A)

As I think about these words and what they mean to me. I think of my family and how we celebrate the season, and their impact on my life. They have been a place of refuge and my safety net. They have protected me with a fortress built from LOVE and rescued me when I needed to be rescued. Their LOVE and support is a constant reminder of God's gift to me, a reminder that He will never leave me, nor forsake me. He has blessed me with a family that is there for me whenever I need them.

As you celebrate this Advent season, take a moment to think about the LOVE of family as the gift that God has placed in your life: A gift that reminds us all of His LOVE for us, His promise of the gift of the coming of His Son and His ultimate return.

December 17, 2011 - Jen Roy, Campus Minister of Retreats, Prayer, & Spirituality

(Reflection based upon: Ps 72:3-4Ab, 7)

R. Justice shall flourish in his time, and fullness of peace for ever.
The mountains shall yield peace for the people,
and the hills justice.
He shall defend the afflicted among the people,
save the children of the poor.
Justice shall flower in his days,
and profound peace, till the moon be no more.

"If you want peace,work for justice." Pope Paul VI made this statement during the celebration of the Day of Peace in 1972. This statement connects to today's psalm showing how justice and peace are deeply woven together, and that one cannot exist without the other. Just as hills lead to mountains, justice leads to peace. As a Catholic woman, there are things I struggle with about my faith and the church. However, when asked what is the best thing about being Catholic, I quickly identify Catholic Social Teaching, which focuses on how I am called to act for justice and to live a life of peace amidst the challenges of today's society.

Today's psalm reminds me that my faith calls me to be the best I can be, to live in God's image and to be God's hands of justice and peace, here on earth. Defending the afflicted and saving children in poverty are clear examples of the call to justice and align to the seven themes of Catholic Social Teaching: Life and Dignity of the Human Person, Call to Family, Community, and Participation, Human Rights and Responsibilities, Option for the Poor and Vulnerable, Dignity of Work and the Rights of Workers, Solidarity, and Care for God's Creation.

As today's psalm calls out, "Justice shall flourish in his time, and fullness of peace for ever", then my Catholic faith calls me to be God's hands on earth in whatever tiny way that I can, as a member of our one human family, so that justice can continue to flourish and peace is fulfilled till the moon be no more.

December 16, 2011 - Kathleen M. Nollet, Ph.D., Education Department

Joy in Preparation, Joy in Music
The heavy gray wooden door creaked open when I turned the key and slipped inside. Turning right, I lugged my music up the stairs in the dim greenish light, feeling along the wall until I found the switches and flipped them. The choir loft flooded with light, illuminating the beautiful old pipe organ.

My fifteen-year-old heart pounded as I ran up the second flight of stairs, but not from the exertion. Instead, the great anticipation of playing Advent music that I loved propelled me. Once inside the choir loft, I kicked off my sneakers and changed into my organ shoes, designed to easily maneuver up and down the pedal board. Hopping up on the high bench, I opened my Messiah score and began to practice the accompaniment to For Unto Us a Child is Born. The words are from Isaiah 9:6:

For unto us a Child is born, unto us a Son is given:
       and the government shall be upon His shoulder:
     and His name shall be called Wonderful, Counselor, the mighty God,
     the everlasting Father, the Prince of Peace.

The choir was preparing a performance of Handel's Messiah during Advent and as organist it was my job to learn the accompaniment.

Learning to play this difficult piece by Handel meant I had to take it apart note by note. First, I played the passages evenly and slowly-one hand at a time-writing in the fingering and pedaling for the tough spots. Next, I put it back together one small section at a time. Practicing it this way was tedious, methodical work that took time and could not be rushed. Even through this painstaking work of mastering a complex piece of music, its beauty appeared. The majesty of the organ music swirled around the gothic arches as I played and urged me on. Over time, as the finished piece emerged from my fingers and feet, I felt joy in my work and anticipation of the performance.

After an hour or two of practice, I left with frozen fingers. The stone church was cold and heat was never on during the week. However, I returned each day to work on preparing my music. The routine was the same and it strengthened my playing until the day of the concert.

The Advent concert in the church was a success and filled everyone with great happiness. The choir members knew they had sung well and felt exhilarated. The audience applauded and many people mentioned that we had given them a special gift of music. A gift! My happiness was twofold. It came from the preparation necessary to master challenging music-the perfect harmony of mind, hand, and heart-and the new realization that my music gave joy to others as they prepared for "the Prince of Peace."

December 15, 2011- Laurel Clanton Bolden, Campus Ministry

(Reflection based upon Is 54:1-10)

Today's readings make me reflect on the times in my life that I grew distant from the Lord. But each time I would turn away something would happen that would send me back, looking for His help and guidance. I have looked to Him so many times, whether it pertained to schoolwork, marriage, having children, or just everyday trivialities. Looking back over the years I can see where He has worked in my life, and although my life now is not how I pictured it when I was twenty-two, I could not imagine it any different today. The Lord is always working in our lives whether we recognize it or not. As many times as we leave the Lord, he will always be there, waiting for us with open arms, his love is unconditional. This Advent as we wait to celebrate the birth of Jesus, ask the Lord to work in your life. The path I once saw for myself and the one He has chosen for me could not be more different, but the Lord knows our hearts even better than we do and He knows what will make us truly happy. All we have to do is trust Him. And although we may have hard times in our life, always remember what Saint Paul's Letter to the Romans tells us: "And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose" (8:28).

December 14, 2011 - Leah Tirrell, Class of 2013

(Reflection based upon Is 45:8)

December 13, 2011- Emelia Attridge, Class of 2013

Artwork: "Santa Lucia", commemorating the feast day of Saint Lucy

Kneeling
BY R. S. THOMAS

Moments of great calm,
Kneeling before an altar

Of wood in a stone church
In summer, waiting for the God
To speak; the air a staircase
For silence; the sun's light
Ringing me, as though I acted
A great rôle. And the audiences
Still; all that close throng
Of spirits waiting, as I,
For the message.
Prompt me, God;
But not yet. When I speak,
Though it be you who speak
Through me, something is lost.
The meaning is in the waiting.

December 12, 2011 - Ali Weller Dutson Class of 2005

(Reflection based upon Luke 1:26-38)

Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe
In the Gospel today, we are reminded of Mary's Faith and trust when Gabriel came to her and told her she would soon welcome Jesus. She was afraid at first, but she trusted in God, she knew something special was on its way. Think about a time where you have been asked to make a sacrifice or waited in suspense for something to happen. How do you prepare yourself to accept the challenge of the days ahead? How do trust and Faith help you to get through those anxious times?

Waiting with hope and open hearts
We trust
We trust

Waiting with Faith and prayerful lips
We trust
We trust

Waiting with grace and knowing minds
We trust
We trust

We trust that God is with us-
Emmanuel!

Heart Wrapped in Waiting, watercolor by Ali Dutson, Class of 2005

December 10, 2011 - Joyce De Leo, Vice President of Academic Affairs

(Reflection based upon Ps 80: 2a,c and 3b, 15-16, 18-19)

Lord, make us turn to you; let us see your face and we shall be saved.

This second week of Advent focuses on peace. Peace can be broadly defined as a state of tranquility or quiet and a freedom from disquieting, oppressive thoughts or emotions. In reading the news, listening to the radio, or surfing the internet, we are led to believe that our current world is full of unrest, poverty, crime and suffering. For example, we have recently heard in the news of the heart-wrenching stories in China: people watching someone drown; not helping a toddler who was run over by a van while onlookers stood silently or walked by. The power of peace comes from within - looking at ourselves to understand how we can personally contribute to freedom from oppressive thoughts or emotions.

The beauty of the Christmas season provides us with a brief respite - as we prepare for Christ's birth - to celebrate with our family and friends and to reflect on the gifts we have and share in each other. As a mother, I love decorating, gift-wrapping and cooking in preparation to spend meaningful time with my family. Christmas Eve is a special night as we gather over an Italian dinner and each open one present. During this season, I make a greater effort to thank those in my life who have done so much - say thank you to a favorite teacher or mailman (the one that gives our Golden retriever a dog biscuit when he drives by).

How can we extend this Christmas beauty to others who we do not know? One of my favorite bumper stickers is: "Perform random acts of kindness and peace." All of us have witnessed angry, rude people. Fortunately, we have also encountered simple acts of kindness. Just yesterday on a crowded Green Line train, I watched a man offer his seat to a woman. Have you ever walked in an airport and counted how many times you could make a stranger smile? How about waiting to hold a door open for a stranger even though you are running late? These random acts of kindness give something unexpectedly to someone else. Such acts on a daily basis can extend our Christmas season throughout the year and help spread peace from ourselves to others.

I feel blessed to be a part of a community where all of us can reflect about our purpose, wish everyone 'Merry Christmas', and decorate our campus with the crèche and Christmas trees. The peace of Emmanuel is with each of us today, throughout Advent, and each day in the year to come.

December 9, 2011 - Jennifer Woodall, Emmanuel College Cataloguer and Distribution Librarian

"Peace"

A fresh coating of snow had blanketed the earth sometime in the dead of night. And with it, a stillness had followed.

The air was crisp, and it was fresh, and it tasted ever so sweet.

Comfort had come in the guise of crystalized dewdrops and now she gently wrapped her embrace around all of nature. And all the impurities, all the tensions, and all the fears - seemed to melt from this new peace that had settled over the land.

And for this brief moment in time, the world waited - as one.
“Snow”, by Jennifer Woodall
"Snow", by Jennifer Woodall

December 8, 2011 - Aren Gerdon, PhD, Assistant Professor of Chemistry

Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary

At first glance, these readings didn't particularly connect with me. I know that the Immaculate Conception is not celebrating that Jesus was born to Mary, but rather that Mary was born without sin. I'd heard the stories of Eve and original sin and about Gabriel appearing to Mary. What finally made a lasting connection for me was something that always seems to guide my thoughts: music.

When I was an undergraduate student, a music professor introduced me to Jan Garbarek with the Hilliard Ensemble performing Ave Maris Stella (Hail, Star of the Sea), which is a Vesper hymn to Mary. This performance is different from a typical hymn because Garbarek plays the saxophone with an amazingly smooth and flowing tone. He beautifully blends with the chanting voices as they ask Mary to "solve vincla reis, profer lumen cæcis" (loosen the chains of the guilty, send forth light to the blind) and "vitam præsta puram, iter para tutum" (bestow a pure life, prepare a safe way). The angelic voices and the towering, soaring saxophone, for me, provide a tremendous sense of the power of God, a sense of safety in that power, and a sense of calm in this very hectic, end of semester, Black Friday shopping time of year. In Luke's Gospel, Gabriel says to Mary "The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you". There's something a little frightening about that, but also something very comforting. I hear this in Garbarek's saxophone as well; sometimes dissonance is created with the voices as the saxophone soars above, but in music that dissonance is resolved to harmony, blending, and peace. My hope is that with the help of the Blessed Virgin Mary we all can find harmony and peace in this Advent season.

Listen to Ave Maris Stella by Garbarek»
Lyrics and Translation to Ave Maris Stella»

December 7, 2011 - Patricia McSweeney, Class of 1951

(Reflection based upon Is 40:25-31)

"The LORD is the eternal God, creator of the ends of the ends of the earth."

In today's world, the Lords of Globalization act as if THEY are eternal gods and creators of the ends of the earth, all the while exploiting God's children and gravely endangering God's creation.

"He gives strength to the fainting; for the weak he makes vigor abound."

This line is applicable to the 99%ers insisting on "liberty and justice for all". Millions of American students are burdened with overwhelming debts and see no clear way to paying them off, much less earning a living. Unconscionable numbers of homeowners have been driven from their homes by conscience-less bankers. Such students and homeowners are the "fainting" but, despite shocking (and nationally coordinated) militaristic police action in various American cities the protesters have demonstrated their vigor by returning to the destroyed sites.

"Though young men faint and grow weary, and youths stagger and fall, they that hope in LORD will renew their strength, they will soar with eagles' wings".

Newspaper accounts report that some churches have provided shelter and food for the displaced protesters. Jim Wallis of Sojourners wrote a timely online piece suggesting that we who are not living in tents provide 99%ers with whatever they need to survive and invite them to our homes for home-cooked food and family comfort. In reality, we're all 99%ers and if we can evolve (before too much time elapses) into a true community we will "soar with eagles' wings".

"They will run and not grow weary, walk and not grow faint".

What the 99%ers have begun is a long overdue Revolution that aims to excise and heal the near-fatal sickness that has infected every aspect of our global society. Greed has stomped out justice. Materialism and militarism are treated as gods. Such attitudes and practices have exacted a grievous toll. Those at the Occupy sites who are determined to change the sickly status quo will repeatedly be thwarted by the powerful, but we 99%ers will "run and not grow weary, walk and not grow faint". Too much is at stake.

December 6, 2011 - Jenny Konecnik, Class of 2014

As the curtain drapes upon the closing of the year,
Just as snow quilts an untouched path.
It is not the disappearance of memories and recollections,
But instead the welcoming of new adventures.
Maranatha.

Limbs grow heavy with the weight of snow crystals,
While memory banks begin to reach full capacity.
A clear slate is not far off,
But the joyful times of the past months are carried close to heart.
Maranatha.

"O the Lord is come, O the Lord is come! 
He has come to the mountainous land, laden with treasure untold. 
Here is our saviour and God, showing our Father's Heart. 
Lifting us high with His joy, into the glory of God. 
Come O my brothers and welcome the Lord!"
Maranatha.

The snow blurs one's vision from the distance ahead,
Quite like the upcoming year's voyage is unknown.
The questions of what are in store for the future are unlimited,
But the exciting feeling of anticipation burns.
Maranatha.

Picture perfect scenery, imprinted in our minds of snow,
Mirror the blessings, miracles, and families of the past year.
We actively wait in anticipation and preparation,
For advent to bring our hopes and dreams here.
Maranatha.

December 5, 2011 - Deirdre Bradley-Turner, Class of 1998, Associate Director of Community Service and Service Learning

(Reflection based upon Is. 35:1-10)

"Go to the poor: you will find God." - St Vincent de Paul

Today's first reading and the beautiful imagery of colorful and abundant flowers coming into bloom in the desert makes me reflect upon the humble birth of Jesus, from the day of his birth Jesus has always been found among the humble, the poor, the lonely and oppressed. The desert imagery also brought me to reflect upon my experience of Alternative Spring Break in Phoenix, AZ. One of our service sites in Phoenix is The Society of St. Vincent de Paul. St. Vincent, our patron saint of volunteers, reminds us to "go to the poor: you will find God." During this Advent season, as we reflect, prepare, and await the birth of Jesus, let us remember that serving the poor and finding the face of Christ in those we serve is what we are called to do by our faith. While many people take the time to serve others during the holidays, typically our busy lives make it difficult to continue serving. Let us challenge ourselves this coming year to find a way to incorporate regular service into our lives, perhaps a monthly volunteer shift with a local soup kitchen, mentoring a child, visiting those who are sick, elderly or imprisoned. The joy of encountering God in those you serve will undoubtedly be a cherished gift.

December 3, 2011 - Carlos Barrera, Facilities

(Reflection based upon Mt 9:35010:1,5a,6-8)

In this Gospel passage, Jesus emerges as a true teacher, teaching in synagogues, and curing every disease and illness. A desire for me as his follower and student would be to put into practice what he reveals with his words. Jesus doesn’t want us to remain silent anymore. Jesus encourages me, and encourages you, to participate not only in this time of expectation, but throughout the New Year, as well, by helping people that are abandoned and in trouble. How many times have we felt lonely, afraid, or tired? Sometimes, all we need is a warm word, a hug, or simply one smile. It doesn’t cost anything and it means a lot when we receive it. This being a very busy time with shopping and thinking about material gifts, we often forget the real meaning of Christmas. I found this wonderful prayer that I consider very appropriate for this time of the year:

Dear Jesus:
Teach me how to balance my life and my time.
Let me remember what is important this season and to say “NO” whenever my “YES” would take me away from your peace.
Fill me with patience, love, humility, and sense of humor.
Let me always remember to give instead of receive.
Remind me of your deep love for me, my family, and friends and let the fire of that love be something
I can share with everyone around me, especially with people in need, trouble or illness.
(Prayer adapted from “Praying Through Exhaustion” http://onlineministries.creighton.edu/CollaborativeMinistry/Advent/advent-prayers.html#Shopping)

"Balance", Sculpture by Andres Barrera (2008), Photo by Frank Kosic, Class of 2014

December 2, 2011- Lisa M. Stepanski, PhD, Professor of English

(Reflection based upon Mt 9:27-31)

Jesus' encounter with two blind men, the subject of today's second reading, is one in a series of miraculous healings documented in Matthew's Gospel. By the time Jesus encounters these men, reports of a young girl restored to life as a result of his laying on of hands have "spread throughout the district." Presumably, then, they know Jesus has arrived in their community, even if they literally can't see him. Yet the Gospel sidesteps an obvious question: How do the blind men know it is Jesus passing by?

The poet Rumi counseled, "Close both eyes to see with the other eye." The short answer: the men see with that "other eye," the eye of faith. The Romantic poet William Wordsworth once described faith as "a passionate intuition." Though blind, these men nevertheless sense Christ in their midst. Their intuition is a catalyst for action. They follow Jesus into the house, crying loudly, "Son of David, have pity on us!"

The blind men share with the best students I have encountered during my teaching career an important characteristic. They are not afraid or ashamed to ask for help, as they instinctively know that doing so leads to a better result. In a surprising twist, Jesus initially walks right past two obvious candidates for healing. Yet Matthew's point is clear: help comes only after we take the first step and seek it. Doing so, however, requires humility. We must accept that we do not always have answers to the questions and challenges that confront us in life. Yes, Jesus is ever-present, but the journey to faith begins with our decision to move toward Him, our desire to seek His assistance.

It is simply by asking that a new future opens up for the men. Before he heals them, Jesus asks, "Do you believe that I can do this?" They respond, "Yes, Lord." With that, I imagine the newly-sighted pair joyfully embarking on what writer Marcel Proust calls "the voyage of discovery," one that begins "not in seeking new landscapes but in having new eyes." This Advent, may our Good God grant us new eyes to see Him in the people and circumstances of our daily lives, and the humility to seek His help in all we do.

December 1, 2011 - John Byrne, Associate Director of Residence Life and Housing

(Reflection based upon Is 26:1-6 and Mt 7:21, 24-27)

I have never purchased a home, nor built one, but I did inherit one from my family as an infant. This home is not a building, but the support system my family granted me at my baptism thirty-seven years ago today. All present that day vowed, either explicitly in word or implicitly in presence, to create and foster for me the environment Isaiah wrote about: one of strength, fairness, faith, and peace.

That home has traveled with me and been the context for all my experiences ever since, and now as an adult I have come to assume superintendence of it. Not often enough, I'll stop to inspect the foundation under my evolving, shifting, and sometimes mercurial "house". When I find rock, I feel gratitude for the nourishment I have created for myself through the choices - good and bad - I've made and also for the nourishment I have received from others beginning with the crowd of parents, godparents, and all family and friends gathered around that baptismal font (singing songs from Godspell, of course) all those years ago at St. Theresa of the Child Jesus Church in Watertown (which is now a luxury condominium complex - as apt an example of impermanence as could be!). When I inspect my foundation and find sand, I have to ask what went wrong, what this means for me and for those around me, and what resources have I to replace that sand with rock.

This Advent, take time to conduct a quick inspection of your house's foundation today if you can. Do you find sand? Do you ask yourself how you will act (not 'what you will say') to ensure your house doesn't collapse into complete ruin as today's Gospel warns? Or do you find rock so plentiful you can help your neighbors before sand consumes their house?

November 30, 2011 - Rev. John Spencer, SJ, Chaplain and Director of Campus Ministry

Reflection based upon Psalm 104, Praise the Lord

O Lord my God, you are very great;
you are clothes with splendor and majesty.
He wraps Himself in light as with a garment;
He stretches out the Heavens like a tent and lays the beams of his upper chambers on their waters.
He makes the clouds his chariots and rides on the wings of the wind.
He set the earth on its foundations;
It can never be moved.
You covered it with the deep as with a garment;
The waters stood above the mountains.
How mighty are your words O' Lord!
In wisdom you made them all;
The earth is full of your creation.

Dale Chihuly

Many years ago I discovered Dale Chihuly, glass artisan. His work captivated my attention and I have been an avid follower of his career. He recently exhibited a show at the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston, which I happily attended.

I think it is the intense coloring and transparency of the glass medium that continues to draw my attention. Chihuly infuses the glass with color and fashions and reshapes the glass into fluid, at times almost nature-defying shapes. Nature is his muse, but he also draws upon Native American art, again nature-inspired. It is as if he continually peels away layer upon layer of nature's beauty.

Therein is my Advent inspiration. Here is a picture of a Chihuly's work. It bursts with light and form. In its shape it seems to move and undulate as if it is still being formed and recreated anew.

Advent holds this same promise of something new infused with life and new life. The promise of the infant/elder, creator/renewer lays bare the transparency of God's loving mystery. We can see shapes and forms and colors and glass, and yet we see through it, beyond it, into it. We can touch it and hold it; it is strong but easily broken. Heated, it will melt; frozen, it will crack. It is the whole of nature in a piece.

Like Chihuly's work, Advent holds our gaze. We look in wonder at what God has wrought. We become one with color and shape and form and light. We become one with the infant/man; one with the mystery of God creation.

November 29, 2011 - Mark Harrington, Class of 2008, Associate Director, Center for Mission & Spirituality

Thanksgiving has come and gone, and now we are immersed in the Season of Advent, a season of hope for the return of Christ. In this time of waiting, it is important to live out Jesus' mission, working towards peace and justice in our world.

Today's responsorial psalm reads 'Justice shall flourish in his time, fullness of peace forever.' How are you responding to this call for peace and justice in our global society? Many images ran rapidly through my mind, but through some personal reflection on past Advent experiences, these two images became clear:

Finding peace is of extreme importance during this time of waiting; both worldly peace and inner peace come to mind. Where I feel most peaceful in mind, body, and spirit is in our College Chapel. It's a place where I can find inner peace and happiness, within the gates of our own community. As a student, during Advent I would make it a point to stop by the Chapel daily to take in its utmost beauty within. This brought me inner peace and gave me an opportunity to pray for world peace.

Justice during the season of Advent brings memories of an annual program at my home parish of which I have made a tradition. Each and every year, the people of the parish community take a nametag of a child in need from the "Giving Tree" during the Advent season. On the tag there is a child's name, age, and his or her needs for the Christmas season. Even though I never meet the child, I can only imagine the joy these gifts will bring. Each year I have committed to taking an additional nametag and this is a way I can personally act for justice during the Advent season.

For me, these are some simple strategies to find inner peace and participate in an act of social justice during Advent. For you, peace and justice during Advent may look much differently; I encourage and challenge you to reflect upon your varied experiences and see where you will personally find peace and justice through Emmanuel, our God with us.

November 28, 2011 - Sister Janet Eisner, SND, President

(Reflection based upon Is 2:1-5, Ps 122, Mt 8:5-11)

The "O Emmanuel" prayer above is one of the Great "O Antiphons" which has been sung during Advent as part of the liturgical prayer of the church for many centuries. This illuminated manuscript, gift of Sr. Vincent de Paul, former art department faculty, depicts the Emmanuel College administration building in the "O" and the name Emmanuel written in ancient Hebrew in the lower circle. The "O Antiphons" reflect the titles of the Messiah: O Wisdom, O Root of Jesse, O Key of David, O Rising Sun, O Emmanuel. For centuries these antiphons, rooted in the prophesies of Isaiah, have been the heralds of the Advent season.

Advent is a time of Joyful Expectation. It celebrates the Incarnation - that God chose to become human and live in the world, a world of turmoil, oppression, wars, sadness, and anxiety - a world like our own.

The readings of today's liturgy say:

Let us go rejoicing to the house of the Lord.
Come, let us climb the Lord's mountain, to the house of the God of Jacob.
One nation shall not raise the sword against another, nor shall they train for war again.

Imagine a world of peace, of hope and of joy!

"O Rising Sun"

You and I can miss the deep beauty and symbol of Advent because we live in busy times, almost frenetic at times. We desire even more to take time for quiet, for prayer, to be attentive to the world around us. We want to notice, with heightened awareness, the plight of those suffering from illness, the unemployed, hungry and homeless and be moved to respond. It is always a good time to reflect on the joy in our lives.

This Season of Advent anticipates with joyful expectation the words of the angel to the shepherds:
I bring you news of great joy - a joy to be shared by the whole people. (Lk.2:10)

And the words of Jesus to his disciples:
Remain in my love. I have told you this so that my own joy may be in you and your joy may be complete. (Jn. 15:11)

Like the Rising Sun may you and I invite God to break into our lives, perhaps amazing us with gifts of love and joy. May we celebrate our humanness because God chose to become human and live with us as Emmanuel, our God with us.

"Joy is the most infallible sign of the presence of God."
Pierre Teilhard de Chardin, SJ