Veritas - From the APRIM

Advent and Christmas

A newborn child brings enormous joy to his or her mother and father, as well as grandparents, siblings, uncles and aunties, cousins and close friends. This experience of joy from relatives and close friends is as expected. The effect of a baby is not confined to family and close friends though – all people, even strangers and the ‘roughest’ of people, smile at a baby. The baby commands the attention of a room full of people like nobody else, too. Why?

It is stating the obvious to say that the baby is reliant on the goodness of grown people for his or her survival. At the most basic level, that could be the reason why we are drawn to a baby, but I think it goes deeper than that. The baby is totally innocent and totally dependent. Innocence is highly admirable because it is inevitably lost as we get older; perhaps this innocence is a part of the fascination. The total dependence of a baby allows them to be loved, absolutely; a baby offers the opportunity for us to give love with nothing in return, so it is a uniquely pure love and this opportunity is rare. A baby has all her or his life ahead of them, so they are the embodiment of hope for the future. For parents, this hope has the most profound effect because it is what drives them to mother and father the child to best prepare them for the world. There is the hope that the child will be effective in making the world a better place, too. So, basic survival needs may be a factor, but I think innocence, dependency, love and hope are the deeper reasons why a baby commands our attention in the most positive way.

In the months before a baby arrives, there is all the excitement and anticipation that one would expect should accompany a new life that embodies innocence, dependency, love and hope. This is the excitement of waiting for the ultimate gift. There are the unknowns of childbirth itself. Whilst less common now, there is the unknown of the baby’s gender. There is the growing realisation that your life is about to change in the most profound way.

The coming of Jesus Christ and the experience for Mary and Joseph included similarities and differences to this. For Mary in Luke’s Gospel, Advent began with a message from the angel Gabriel. The message that she was miraculously pregnant with the Messiah would have been frightening, and the extent of her hope must have been overwhelming. Imagine the glory of being the mother of the Messiah! For Joseph in Matthew’s Gospel, Advent began with an angelic message announcing that his pregnant virgin fiancé had conceived by the Holy Spirit and that he should not dismiss her. Moreover, he was told that Mary was carrying God’s presence! How mysterious must this have been for Joseph! So, the biggest difference surrounding the pending birth of this baby, is that this baby was God!

Jesus’ birth – the first Christmas – only made sense after His earthly life, death and resurrection was complete. The miracle of Pentecost and the subsequent miracle of the Church allowed people to reflect and build the Christmas tradition and recognise the importance of Advent. John’s Gospel opens with a reference to Jesus’ presence (the Word, or logos) at the beginning of everything, but with God. “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God” (John 1:1-2). People grappled with God’s plan and the meaning of life – this truth - for millennia before the long-anticipated arrival of the Messiah, Jesus Christ. This was the long Advent experienced by humankind, and then God was fully revealed – when God’s word became flesh. “And the Word became flesh and lived among us, and we have seen his glory, the glory as of a father’s only son, full of grace and truth” (John 1:14). Celebrating Christmas each year, and moreover the Advent that precedes it, reminds us of this wait. It reminds us to wait in anticipation for the greatest gift – the gift of salvation. It reminds us that we can only come to the truth through Jesus Christ, and that it is only this truth that allows us to live our lives to the full. Our search for truth – veritas – the basic tenet of our Dominican tradition – must drive us to know and love Jesus Christ. This is why Dominicans identify Study as a pillar.

Advent is a hopeful time. The gifts that sit wrapped under a Christmas tree contain hope. Advent calendars build anticipation. The joyful music and the lifted spirits demonstrate the best of humanity. We hope it is prolonged, but as inevitable as the loss of innocence is the gradual diminishing of the Christmas spirit as we move deeper into a new year. The liturgical calendar of the Church is attuned to this, with the liturgical year ending before Advent with references to death, judgement, the end of time and the second coming featuring prominently in readings. It is the wise cycle of renewal: the liturgical calendar implies a death of sorts, followed by the Advent of new hope in the form of the birth of salvation at Christmas.

Jesus is God’s gift to humanity and is the ultimate act of God’s love and generosity. We symbolise this with acts of generosity too through the exchange of Christmas gifts and goodwill. At Blackfriars, students, their families and staff have generously provided gifts for members of families identified by Vinnies as in need. Acts of generosity are repeatedly identified by Jesus as the means to gain entry to God’s Kingdom. Moreover, in Matthew 25, Jesus is clear that acts of service to others are also acts of service to Him. The acts of our Blackfriars community are a community effort to enact the pillar of Service and demonstrate the effort of our community to strive for the truth in a manner articulated by St Dominic. They reflect the extent to which we know and love the logos made flesh. We are welcoming Jesus into the world when we welcome others through generosity.

As the school year comes to a close, as much as we look forward to Christmas through the season of Advent, we may also look back at the year that has been. For me, it has been a privilege to serve the Blackfriars community as APRIM this year. I have been blessed with the inspirational support of colleagues who have ensured our Dominican Catholic identity has permeated all we do. I have been blessed with the responsibility of organising and running the outreach, liturgical, experiential and sacramental aspects for staff and students. I have been inspired by our students and their preparedness to explore and grow, particularly their faith dimension. I have also been inspired by the generosity of students and their families. I look forward to improving in my role in the years ahead.

I hope that you also look back to appreciate the blessings of your 2018 as you also contemplate the arrival of our Saviour at Christmas. I wish you a safe, blessed and holy Christmas and a 2019 full of good fortune. I look forward to working with the staff and young people of Blackfriars and their families in their search for truth, veritas, as they seek to know and love Jesus, the logos made flesh.

Mr Matthew Crisanti

ASSISTANT PRINCIPAL: RELIGIOUS IDENTITY AND MISSION