As the year closes in, we must surely have a pot of testimony to make. There could be testimonies of success and excellence, violence and wars, pains and tears, trials and tribulations, betrayal and discrimination, name it. We could talk of people with disabilities facing segregation, challenging experiences of missionary life, the burden of poverty and disease among other things.
However, no matter the situation we find ourselves in at the end of the year, we have the conviction and hope that there is always life in God. During the festive season, the Church is graced with the period of Advent. It is a period where we as the pilgrim Church gratefully and joyfully remember our limitations and give ourselves to be illumined by the light from God. The Advent wreath with the four candles is symbolic of the four weeks of preparation. This symbol further implies that there is always life and hope in God. Why should we observe the period of advent? First of all, in preparation to receive the Grace of God, to hope in God and to allow the Spirit of God to light the world in us and through us. The period of Advent is for a total renewal of life as we await to receive Christ; being born for the whole world but specifically, being born in the lives of each one of us.
Fr. Moses Alir Otii, Mccj in this issue takes us through what we need to prepare ourselves during the period of Advent. He notes that “Once this light is lit in us, then we are called to allow it to grow progressively, burning our egos and our self-centeredness as the flame does with the wax: let ourselves be consumed in love for others, offering them light and warmth. Then it will be Christmas in our world.”
Pope Benedict XVI adds, “It is the Beautiful Task of Advent to Awaken in All of Us Memories of Goodness and Thus to Open the Doors of Hope.” We remember therefore in the scriptures that: “You were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires; to be made new in the attitude of your minds; and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness. Ephesians 4:22-24, NIV On behalf of the Leadership Magazine team, I wish to extend our gratitude to you our dear esteemed contributors and readers for your trust and hope in us. Indeed, it is Christ working in us, through us, and for us. It is the Love, Grace and Hope in God that we can celebrate the end as we did in the beginning. We in faith thank the Almighty for lighting us through the tide of the year and we entrust to Him all our plans for the year ahead.
We pray with the Holy Father, Pope Francis that we may be in this world a ray of that Light which shone forth from Bethlehem, bringing joy and Peace to the hearts of all men and women. We will then chant with the angels, “Gloria in Excelsis Deo.”
Wishing you a Grace-filled festive season and a Grace-filled New Year, 2024!
