1 DEC
December 20
Sacred Interruptions
“How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of the messenger who announces peace.”
Isaiah 52:7
Reflection
We’re so used to the story, it no longer startles us. The Son of God in a manger? The Prince of Peace born into an occupied land? A movement beginning in a backwater of the empire, flourishing after its founder is executed? We nod and say, “Of course.”
Yet the Gospel is still full of surprise. The story keeps unfolding, carried across centuries and cultures by unlikely people. One of them was Francis – called from a comfortable life to follow Christ radically. His greeting was simple: Pax – peace. He became a channel of the Prince of Peace for his generation, as Franciscans continue to be today.
You probably know the hymn “Make Me a Channel of Your Peace.” It wasn’t written by Francis – only inspired by him, centuries later. Still, its spirit echoes his Admonitions, especially Admonition 15:
Blessed are the peacemakers…
Those are truly peacemakers who,
despite suffering, preserve peace
in soul and body for the l
ove of our Lord JesusChrist.
Let that hymn lead you into prayer. Let it open space to welcome the Christ who comes quietly into your heart. Mary said “yes” and became the Theotokos, God-bearer. In our fractured world, we too are called to sacred interruption – welcoming the Prince of Peace into our lives.
Br Austin SSF
solitary in Canterbury, brother for 43 years
Reflective Action
NOTICE THE SIGNS AROUND YOU
Take a moment today to notice the natural signs around you.
What is blooming, changing, or shimmering with life?
Let these be your Advent candles.
Pause, give thanks, and ask: How is God speaking to me through this place, this season,
this land, where ever you are at the moment?
Franciscan Quote
Where there is charity and wisdom,
there is neither fear nor ignorance.
Where there is patience and humility,
there is neither anger nor disturbance.
Where there is poverty with joy,
there is neither greed nor avarice.
Where there is rest and meditation,
there is neither anxiety nor restlessness.
Where there is fear of the Lord to guard his courtyard,
there the enemy cannot have a place to enter.
Where there is a heart full of mercy and discernment,
There is neither excess nor hardness of heart.
(Admonition, number 27)
Prayer
God of every season and sky,
you meet us in purple blossoms
and southern stars.
Open our eyes to your beauty,
and our hearts to your coming.
CULTURAL insight
Australia
I was ordained deacon on the Feast of St Nicholas, 6 December – a bright, warm early summer day in Perth. The sun climbed high above St George’s Cathedral, casting sharp shadows through its stone arches.
The scent of eucalyptus drifted in from nearby parks.
Our ordination retreat leader began her sermon with a smile: “Look outside. The jacaranda trees are in full bloom. Their purple blossoms are heaven’s confetti. That’s how we know two things: an ordination is near, and Christmas is coming.” In Perth, jacarandas are our Advent candles – lit not with flame, but colour. Blossoms fall like blessings on garden paths and churchyards. The dry rustle of eucalyptus and the hum of cicadas mark the season more than snow or firelight. We gather in parks by the Swan River, sharing seafood, salad, and pavlova.
Churches shift service times to beat the heat; children arrive at nativity plays in sunhats and sandals. Yet the Word still becomes flesh. Christ is born not only in a wintry stable, but among banksia and lemon-scented gum, under southern stars – and always, into waiting hearts.
Cheryl Absalom TSSF
Diocese of Perth
Growing Mystery
“The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not overcome it.”
Isaiah 52:7
developmental markers
week 29
In the womb
- Now about 39 cm (15.2 inches) and 1.1 kg (2.4 lbs), the child stretches and turns with strength.
- Bones harden.
- The brain grows more intricate.
- The unseen becomes wonderfully complex.
in the mother
- Her body labours quietly. Fatigue lingers; breath is short.
- But inwardly, something is deepening – an awareness, a listening, a tenderness that did not exist before.
reflection
Mary carries within her “The Light of the World”, yet everything still feels hidden, fragile, and small.
Her body strains under the growing weight. Each breath feels a little harder. Each movement of the child within is a bold reminder that mystery is becoming reality.
Perhaps she lays her hand on her belly and feels both joy and fear- – wondering what this child’s life will cost her, and what it will cost Him.
Yet in this quiet stretching space, strength is growing. Holiness ripens in the silence of her body’s hidden work. Mary may have felt alone, misunderstood by many, but she trusted the Light within. Her womb becomes both sanctuary and school, a sacred space where Christ is prepared for the world.
This light shines quietly now, but soon it will break into the world’s darkness.
wonderings:
I wonder how Mary held onto hope when she could not yet see the fullness of God’s promise.
I wonder how I might notice the quiet strengthening of God’s life within me, even when it feels hidden or hard.
Journaling Prompts
If you keep an Advent Journal, here are some ideas you could write about;
Advent leads us toward the greatest sacred interruption—the birth of Christ in a world that wasn’t ready.
Take a moment to reflect: What “interruption” in my life might actually be an invitation from God?
What unexpected place, or person, is drawing my attention this Advent?
Now write: One simple sentence beginning with: “This Advent, the thing that is interrupting me now is…
Let it name a place of surprise, a disruption, or even a struggle where Christ might already be arriving.
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