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Network of Prayer - December 2006Editor: Sr Elizabeth Roberts mfic
Can you believe that another year is finishing, and the season of Advent is with us once again? A question we must ask ourselves is, "Have we time to celebrate Advent?" To me, Christmas celebrations seem to start erlier every year. In September, I had already received gift catalogues in the mail, and people were telling me tht unless they booked their Christmas partieis a few months beforehand, they would miss out on a table in their favourite restaurants! In Department Stores there were already boxes of tinsel and glitter ready to put up and entice customers to buy from the bounty of gifts on display. So many people seem caught up in the frenzy of anticipation for Christmas, but what has happened to Advent? Advent has been called the season of waiting, but in our modern, frenetic world, waiting has become unacceptable. Is this the reason Advent is pushed aside – we haven’t time to wait? Do we remember that this is the season that celebrated waiting and that this waiting nourishes and fills our hearts with peace? It is not a boring, listless waiting, but an expectant involvement in the reality of Christ’s coming, one that is full of hope. The liturgy of Advent helps us to open our hearts to the great mystery of God becoming human, of His humanity and love in the manger of Bethlehem... Can we take time out from out busy lives to wait with Mary, to share in her wonder at this great event? Advent also puts before us His second coming when the Kingdom of God will be visible to all. Hope is the great gift and fruit of Advent. The hope of peace on earth that was proclaimed by the angels to the shepherds at Bethlehem – also the hope of eternal happiness waiting for us when we die. Advent is recognizing, welcoming and befriending Wait in joyful hope, a Saviour will come, (Michael Herry - Sing Spirit, Sing Life) In the Footsteps of Francis I was privileged to attend the General Chapter held at Domus Pacis, Assisi in July. Since my return may people have asked me, "Did you find Francis there? Do you still find his spirit in that town? Did you meet him during your time there?" Without a doubt I can answer "yes" to all of the above. On one of our free days, I decided to go alone to walk the streets of Assisi, and reflect on this most wonderful of all saints. When I returned home and reflected on my little pilgrimage I knew I had met him everywhere for …
I saw him in the traffic: today he would be one of those young men who reverse down the cobbled, one-way streets so expertly – or maybe one of the truck drivers who seem so oblivious to pedestrians as they speed along those narrow streets. I gazed at him in the market places, where trade was being carried out, and where the smells of fruit and vegetables filled the air – I could see him wiping off the damp, sweet earth that still clung to so much of the fresh produce. I found him in the shop where an old man worked with a welder, and a younger man plied his trade with wood – the floor was covered with sawdust and woodchips and the air echoed with the sound of his saw – the same sounds Francis would have heard as a boy. I felt him near in the churches where small and large groups whispered about the beauty of the frescoes or discussed the damage caused by the earthquake. Some were silent, some were awestruck at the great mystery that is Assisi. I listened to Francis in the laughter and joy of the hundreds of young people who throng daily to his homeland – heard him telling jokes and stories in the youth who were speaking his native tongue.
However, we don't have to go to Assisi to meet Francis – we find him when we live in his spirit, when we hear the rain and the wind and the birds – all call out to us to offer praise and thanksgiving to the Creator. When we discover the wealth offered in poverty and the freedom found in humility – Francis is there. So don't look for him only in art, or lend, or holy places or buildings. Look for him in your caring and your loving – in your serving and in your concern – in your prayer and in your humility. It is there you will find Francis, it is there you will discover his spirit – it is there you will then find the spirit of Christ.
A Letter from Pakistan As I promised in our last issue, I want to share with you Sr Rosy's letter which gives us an account of the tragic events that took place while we were attending the DDFMC Seminar in Sri Lanka.
(Anthony de Mello: The Song of the Bird)
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Dear Friends
I
had found Francis in the tourists who were bustling alone, each group
speaking in a different language. I saw him in the townspeople
who live out their daily lives selling their merchandise. I watched
their exuberance as they spoke with waving arms as well as with their
voices, just as Francis would have done. 
O, yes, Francis is there – his spirit is there – he is everywhere IN
ASSISI.
The
dance is different from the Dancer
In Conclusion...