So many of our happy memories seem bathed in sunlight and warmth. Summer is a time that allows us to enjoy the outdoors, as the long lazy days of January follow the Christmas rush with holidays, and we make plans and resolutions for the year to come.
For most of us, these months will include time spent catching up with family and friends, perhaps travelling long distances, and celebrating long-held traditions which bond us together. The Christmas message of peace on earth and goodwill to all, however tattered it may sometimes appear, still expresses the deeply-held dreams of humankind. It is always right to reflect at this time on how we as families, communities and nations live out the ancient longing expressed by Isaiah, that one day, the lion will lie down with the lamb, and our weapons of war will exist no more.
Our contributors share their thoughts on what 'Coming Home' means to them. For some, home is where the heart is - with family, or with memories and stories that tell us who we are and who we belong to. It is a place we go to. For others, home is where we start from. The Holy Family begins its story with journeys to and from home. Jesus finds himself at home always in the moment, listening to his Abba, and loving the people he has come to serve.
We are reminded of the homecoming we find in our encounters with the natural world, rejoicing in finding ourselves at peace with God's creation.
The Season of Advent concludes the Church year, inviting us to take time to reflect and pray. Advent offers a chance to explore our relationships with God, each other and with creation, in the lead up to Christ's coming into the world. This Advent we offer a special 'Season of Creation' series. We invite you to engage with the daily Gospel readings and reflections through the lens of our relationship with creation, and in the light of the themes of the Pope's encyclical Laudato Si - particularly the social, economic and personal structures that prevent us from being the people God wants us to be.
I take this opportunity to say a heartfelt thanks to all who have contributed their talents and skills so generously to bringing Madonna together over the past twelve months. And of course, to wish you, our beautiful readers and subscribers, a happy and holy Christmas and New Year.
Wherever your home is, and whatever you call home, may it be blessed, and may it be always the place where you are at home to and with our God.
Margaret-Mary Flynn, Associate Editor.
Cover Image: Gertie Huddleston We All Share Water
Gertie Huddleston is one of a group of indigenous artists from the Roper River in the Northern Territory. Traditionally, these Ngukkar Wandarang/Mara peoples painted in ochre on bark and stone. But in 1987, a group began painting in acrylics, making Colour Country paintings. The title of the painting is a poignant reminder of our shared humanity and responsibility for the natural world which is home and life for all.
