Pastoral blog: Advent - the real meaning
It is a sad indictment of our times that, according to recent research, a shocking 89 percent of the British population opened a “non-Christian-themed advent calendar on December 1 – packed with chocolate treats”. We hope to open new doors for our students and school community at this time of year by introducing them to spiritual preparation for Christmas and the true focus of Advent. As a Christian community, Advent is a time of preparation at the start of the Church year, a time of quiet, inward reflection and repentance before the wonder of Christmas and the start of the secular calendar’s New Year.
Our school chaplain, Mrs Kay Dodsworth, reflects: “Advent is a very joyful and encouraging season; it helps us reflect on the mystery at the heart of the Christmas celebrations. With its focus on spiritual preparation, Advent enhances the more materialistic aspects of this time of year by focussing our attention on the reasons for the festival, which enriches our enjoyment of the celebrations and leads us into spiritual, moral and social growth.”
‘Advent’ was introduced as the word of the week last week at the Junior School; this was coupled to last week's word ‘Anticipation’, and through assembly and Religious Education lessons the girls articulated their understanding of anticipation (looking forward) and advent (coming). Our youngest pupils performed, beautifully, a marvellous Nativity play written by one of our teachers, Mrs Carol Kew. Our religious studies teacher at the Junior School, Ms Carolyn Johnson, has worked with some of the older classes talking about the Annunciation and Visitation, and the good news of Jesus' coming. The pupils reflected on the way we treat each other, help one another, and help to promote peace and justice in all our relationships - in the home, school and community.
In the Senior School we have also been reflecting on Advent in assemblies: in Year 7 chapel assembly last week we reflected on the message of the Christmas story. While our school is a Catholic, Christian community, and Advent is traditionally a period before Christmas observed by Christians, students of all faiths and those from secular backgrounds are invited to be as involved as they wish with our Advent reflections. Last Friday Mrs Dodsworth led a moving reflection in assembly which focussed on the Blessed Virgin Mary and her contribution as a woman to the Christmas story as “the timeless role model” is relevant to all girls, “since the reality which she exemplifies is all-inclusive and transcends time and cultures” no matter what faith or secular background.
Throughout Advent we are continuing to spend one minute every day praying for, or reflecting on, peace - originally introduced following the devastating events in Paris last month. Students in whole school assembly were invited to make spiritual preparations for Christmas by spending a little more time in prayer; perhaps by focusing on thanksgiving for all the good things with which they are blessed. It was also suggested that they might like to make, or simply enact, a spiritual Advent calendar by trying to do one unselfish thing each day.
As a Christian foundation, we participate in a range of activities in our parish church, The Church of Our Lady and the English Martyrs (OLEM), during the Advent season. Last week, parents and friends of the school enjoyed a very moving Junior School carol service at OLEM. This week, the Senior School will be celebrating its Carol Service as the final act ahead of the start of our Christmas holiday. Indeed, this year is the 125th anniversary of the consecration of this church, and we have been enjoying the anniversary celebrations, which have highlighted the strength of links between our school and the parish. A candlelit Christmas dinner at Magdalene College with Bishop Alan, Lord (Rowan) Williams of Oystermouth and other VIPs will take place on 19th December, bringing the whole anniversary celebration to a close at this very special time of year.
We wish to be true servants to the wider community and Advent is a time to think of others. Many students have supported Form 9T’s efforts on behalf of Operation Christmas Child, run by Samaritan’s Purse. Girls have decorated and filled shoeboxes with toys, clothing or school supplies which have been sent to disadvantaged children all over the world. The girls co-ordinated the appeal most impressively – giving instructions, chasing up donations, and sorting through the collected items to check that each box met the guidelines laid out by Samaritan’s Purse. This year has seen more boxes than ever donated, palpably demonstrating our commitment to supporting others during this Advent season.
To draw my own thinking on the real meaning of Advent to a close, I turn to a prayer reflection in memory of Archbishop Oscar Romero, which articulates my thoughts: “We plant the seeds that one day will grow. We water the seeds already planted knowing that they hold future promise.” We are realistic – it is a bleak time politically around the world and we would be naïve if we ignored this fact – but we have hope and Advent provides the space for us all to pause and reflect on the seeds that we have planted and the contributions we have made. As Pope Francis said in his Sunday Angelus message for the start of Advent in 2013:“The journey is never finished: just as in each of our own lives, there is always a need to restart, to rise again, to recover a sense of the goal of one’s own existence.”