Living with Strength and       Kindliness

Even though this is the last newsletter for the year it seems to be a little early to start talking about the nativity.  We haven’t even started the Season of Advent (until this coming Sunday) so for me to begin at the end would be a little odd.

So, those of you who are following the Advent Readings will know that I started looking at the scriptural readings of Advent a fortnight ago in my last newsletter article.  This is really confusing, I know; sorry.

Instead of looking at Week 2 of Advent (which one would think would be the natural progression) I thought that I might instead focus on the Gospel Reading of the 12th of December, (by now you have worked out that there is no rhyme to what I am doing at all).

Tuesday the 12th of December is the second week of Advent.  The reading is taken from the Gospel of Matthew (Mt 18:12) – Go in search of the stray.

What do you think? If a shepherd has a hundred sheep, and one of them has gone astray, does he not leave the ninety-nine on the mountains and go in search of the one that went astray? And if he finds it, truly I tell you, he rejoices over it more than over the ninety-nine that never went astray. So it is not the will of your Father in heaven that one of these little ones should be lost.

There is so much to celebrate in this wonderful world of ours.  But, despite all of the positives that surround us there are many people in our world who have lost their way.  The Season of Advent asks us to think about the ways that we respond to the needs of those who may have lost the track. 

"Lost Sheep" are often not distant figures to us.  We can also be "Lost Sheep". There can be times on our own lives when we feel alone or restless.  Advent asks us to reflect on those who have been guiding figures in our own lives and how we can be people of goodness who reach out to those who most need us in their lives.

And sometimes when we are lost it is the gentle hand and the gentle voice of God that brings us back to a safe and right path.

Let us pray:

Loving God, in the times of silence, may your voice bring solace and protection to those who feel that their lives have gone astray.  May they hear your gentle voice whisper, ‘Do not be afraid, I am with you’.

Amen

I wish all of our St Joseph’s College Families and Friends a warm and loving Christmas, shared with those you love.  It won’t be long now and the Nativity will be upon us and we will welcome the love of the baby Jesus into our hearts.

Merry Christmas everyone!

Kirrilee Westblade