Advent

The Life: "In December," one sister writes, "there is a magic that makes our hearts beat differently. We experience a joy not felt at any other time of the year, and it touches the most sensitive fibers of our being."

Martin Luther King Jr. reminds us that we are not called to be lone prophets saving the world on our own. Rather, we are called to recognize that each issue or event affects each and every one of us at some level.

Our Dominican community is trying to live the spirit of Advent, preparing our hearts to welcome the coming of Christ of the world by going to meet the poor workers in the neighborhood where they live.

The war has strained Ukraine's power grid and increased the need for light. GSR joined a two-day mission into Ukraine to deliver flashlights and candles to a city far from the front lines but still affected by war.

Sisters help return the holy meanings of the holidays by creating and selling gifts that can be purchased from convents across the United States.

In the Advent journey toward Bethlehem, I hit the road with a group of students — the Ambassadors of Hope — to drive home for them the messages: "Giving is better than receiving" and "Earth is our common home."

Advent, we are told, is a time of expectation, of joyful waiting, of anticipation. But what about the times when life is not like that?

The Life: As a child, "waiting for Christmas was not irksome but a magical time filled with anticipation," one sister writes. " Waiting was possible because I trusted in God's promise of something wonderful."