|
|
||||||
|
Advent is a time of expectancy. Israel waited for a Messiah, never knowing when that Messiah would appear, but always confident that God would be faithful to all His promises. The Old Testament expressed these promises of God in many different ways. Particularly in chapters 6-11 of Isaiah, the promise was expressed as Immanuel - one who would not only come but who would be "God with us". Today, the promise is expressed as "a shoot from the root of Jesse". When a tree is cut down, fresh new shoots spring up from the stump which is left. So, too, for Israel: at a particular time the royal family might all be destroyed, even Israel herself might be defeated and almost destroyed. But the God of nature was also the God of history. As a new living branch rises out of the dead stump of a tree, so in the twists and turns of history, God makes new life, new hope, appear. Our hope is somewhat different from Israel's, for we believe that the Messiah has come in Jesus of Nazareth. In Jesus the promise of Immanuel has been fully and irrevocably fulfilled. In Jesus, God is with us. Our Advent expectancy is, then, the expectancy of further delight in God's presence amongst us. Come, O Come, Immanuel. |
|
- END -
P R A Y I N G W I T H T H E C H U R C H
| INTENTION : |
That the celebration of the Jubilee may become the source of a new commitment in men and women of good will to protect and promote human life.
|
|
In the threshold of the year 2001, it is our duty to renew our commitment to safeguarding the dignity of the poor and marginalised and to recognise in a practical way the rights of those who have no rights. This is the spirit of the new millennium which presupposes the following: The basic right to life which is inviolable which involves a positive choice for life. The development of a culture of this kind embraces all the circumstances of life and ensures the promotion of human dignity in every situation. Recent developments in the field of genetic engineering present a profoundly disquieting challenge. In order that scientific research in this area may be at the service of the person, it must be accompanied at every stage by careful ethical reflection, which will bring about adequate legal norms safeguarding the integrity of human life. Life can never be downgraded to the level of a thing. To choose life involves rejecting every form of violence. In every circumstance, the right to life must be promoted and safeguarded with appropriate legal and political guarantees. Let us raise our voices on their behalf. | |
|
- END - | |