In Advent, amidst the tinsel and noisy bustle, we invite you to pause and reflect on the great mystery of God's love for Creation - so deep, and so tender that God chose to enter the world as one of us. We pray to discern God's traces in our shadowed world.

Our Advent Reflections for 2017 look at the Daily Scripture readings in the light of Pope Francis' Encyclical, Laudato Si. We are called to witness the Incarnation in our care of all God's created world, and all God's creatures. You can follow the longer daily reflections on our website www.pray.com.au brought to you by Madonna Magazine.

Season of Creation

In Roman times the advent (arrival) of the Emperor into a city aroused great fear and expectation. He would dispense justice and rewards. People prepared themselves for it. In the church year, Advent is the time we await the coming of Christ, remembering the birth of Jesus and preparing for the coming of God into our lives and world. It is a time of joyful waiting.

The first reading in most Masses during Advent is taken from the prophecies of Isaiah. They were written in hard times of war, dodgy alliances and injustice. They are full of realism about the world, a deep sense of God's presence in the natural world, the conviction that relationship to God affects the whole environment and not just our hearts. They are prayers of waiting and longing.

The Gospels during Advent are mostly vivid stories that show what faith in Christ is like and what the coming of Jesus means to us. They encourage us to pray for a deeper faith.

Advent is the right time to take into our prayer Pope Francis' passionate plea to protect our environment for our children. Like Isaiah, his Encyclical Laudato Si names the crisis of our time and evokes God's presence in our world. Like the Gospel stories, he commends a faith strong enough to overcome inertia and self-interest.

These three strands shape our prayer reflections this Advent.