Author: Deji Okegbile

Mary, the mother of Jesus invites us to reclaim a more meaningful Advent and the reason for the Christmas season. The Gospel reading today from Luke 1 presents Mary as our model, our example, our witness, our sister, our mother who voices for us a pattern of Christmas expectancy and Christmas response. Mary embodies our Christmas feelings, our Christmas questions, and our Christmas pondering, not only in response to the time leading up to Christmas but also in our post-Christmas realities. In preparation for our post-Christmas reality, ‘the season of Advent invites us to move outside our liturgical constraints...

Advent is about the Bible. From Genesis to Revelation, God promised the Advent or coming of His Son, Jesus Christ. In the Old Testament , we look expectantly for the Advent of God’s forever King just as Prophet Isaiah declared, “For unto us a Child is born, Unto us a Son is given; And the government will be upon His shoulder. And His name will be called Wonderful, Counsellor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace” (Is 9::6). In the New Testament, the angel brought the good tidings of great joy by announcing the birth of the Saviour, who...