Expectations.
A time of waiting and wanting.
When a family discovers the joyful news of a baby on the way everyone in that family, and perhaps most especially the mother, years to see the face of the child being born.
It’s not a desire that can easily be fulfilled. There is waiting – nine months of it – where dreams are dreamt, desires uncovered, names discussed (and perhaps argued about), distant futures built.
This dreaming and desire cannot be put away. This excitement and joy cannot be stifled – and nor should it be.
It is this joy, excitement, patience and growing love that we experience most profoundly during Advent.
We await the birth of our Lord Jesus Christ on Christmas Day. We don’t have to wait nine months – but a mere four weeks.
In that four weeks we can explore that desire, hope, joy, expectation, trepidation, fear and love that all newborns cause in their family.
We can start to glimpse – in a tiny tiny way – the joy and love that is coming our way. We can prepare our hearts to receive that awesome love in its fulness on Christmas morning.
This is a time for preparation, to get our house in order, to build the crib, to get our lives in the right place and our hearts ready for the coming of Jesus in the crib.
How? We most fully do that in the Mass. Try to come a little more often during Advent and hold that small child in your minds eye.
Consider what you need to get ready for the arrival of this most special of children.
Fr. Matthew
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From Wednesday 2nd we re-open for our public services! This is wonderful news. From 9am on Wednesday the church will be open as usual during the advertised services – we will of course continue to stream as we have been. Do make a special effort to come to the 10am Mass on Thursday morning where we will offer special prayers of Thanksgiving.
Please do consider setting up Parish Giving which helps us more easily claim back tax from the Government. All you need to do is call 0333 002 1271 and quote our Parish Giving Code – 230 623 503.