REFLECTING ON THE REASON FOR ADVENT

At the start of a big race of our Salvation,
and before the birth of Jesus Christ,
Mary, Joseph and other people struggled
as they carried all they needed for the journey.

Imagine the task involved in a camping trip:
people had to carry food, clothing and shelter
from one town to another on foot
to be counted in a census at Nazareth - their hometown.

While we wait in a humble, quiet peace to reflect on the mystery of our Salvation,
Many of us struggle to remember
what's at the "end line" - a baby in a manger,
Jesus Christ the Saviour of the world.

As the images of the end times flood our mind,
the thoughts of wars, terrorism, calamity, natural disasters arouse fear in us
reminding us of the fall of Adam and Eve.

Trampled underfoot by the destruction of things,
humanity feels lost as everyone goes in search of solution and mercy;
Life continues to be harder and uneasy,
many innocent people suffer, die and become desperate.

As the coming of the Saviour is marked by signs
We are invited to focus on the Holy Eucharist.
Because Christ was born in a manger,
all who wish to see Him must bend in adoration to the Word incarnate.

Prisca Onyinye Nwokorie is a  Roman Catholic Nun. She belongs to the religious order of “Oblates of St. Benedict Joseph Labre” in Italy. She is a graduate of the University of Bari where she obtained her Bachelor’s and Masters’ degrees in “Information and Communication Technologies for the Production of Software” and “Computer Science” respectively. Currently, she is carrying out research work on “E-learning for Developing Countries”.