Advent Archives - Catholic Herald

Advent

December 18, 2023

There is an old story told about the dilemma of a monkey reaching down through the narrow neck of a glass jar to grab the alluring beads contained within and to which he is irresistably attracted. In excitement and desire, the monkey grasps a full handful of beads to pull out and possess. But the

The modern Advent calendar and our descent into vice

November 15, 2023

Every time a journalist phones me I remind myself of Oscar Wilde’s warning, “the difference between literature and journalism is that journalism is unreadable and literature is not read”. I find that I can’t break the habit of trying to explain to journalists that there is more to the question than they have as yet seen.

Following St Joseph’s example as Christmas draws near

December 18, 2022

The Virgin will conceive and give birth to a son and they will call Him Emmanuel, a name which means ‘God is with us’. In the final week of Advent the Church naturally focuses on the figure of the Mother. But every third year, the Church bowls us a bit of googly when the Sunday

On to the manger: the Eparch of London on Advent

December 15, 2022

In 2020, and even into 2021, so many travel plans were cancelled or had to be postponed due to the Covid-19 pandemic. I vividly recall the hesitation I felt after a long period of isolation, especially the first time I opened my front door to venture out into the empty streets of London. Leading up

Already, and not yet: waiting for the coming of Christ

December 11, 2022

There’s something about Advent which speaks to the hearts of us all. Because Advent is two things. It is a season which is incredibly special. We await God’s arrival in the world. There can be nothing more unique and extraordinary than this. And His arrival, when it comes, is full of tenderness and love. He

The kingdom of heaven is at hand: spending Advent well

December 04, 2022

“May the Lord be in your heart and help you to confess your sins with true sorrow.” What prevents us from doing that? We won’t confess our sins unless we are convinced of the reality of God and the possibility of a personal relationship with Him. Vaguely identifying as Christian is not enough. It must

Let’s make the most of advent to appreciate Christmas

December 02, 2022

The Catholic Herald provides some reflections on the watering down and commercialisation of this period of reflection and penitence

Let us prepare to rediscover the value of waiting this Advent

November 27, 2022

To look forward to the coming of Christ, to want to meet Him when He returns, we have to appreciate what He did for us the first time round. We have to look with love and tenderness on the Crib. We have to wonder at the fact God loves us so much that He became this small and this vulnerable. We have to encounter the overwhelming love of Christ on the Cross. He suffered all this for my sake. Someone – God – loves me this much.