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Second Week of Advent
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December 8, 2008 |
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Dear Education for Justice Members,
Today we celebrate the Feast of the Immaculate Conception and the powerful action of God's grace. The world needs God's grace today to bring peace, instill hope and heal all division. The Advent readings are rich in revealing God's action as Pope Benedict XVI noted this weekend, "there resounds a message full of hope, which
invites us to lift up our gaze to the ultimate horizon, but at the same time to
recognize the signs of God-with-us in the present."
May we continue to open our eyes and recognize God-with-us in the present.
The resources specific to Week Two are below. Search the web site for many more resources too.
Wishing you a Blessed Advent,
The Education for Justice Team |
Advent Prayer - Enkindle Our Hope
Enkindle Our Hope
Emmanuel,
Our world waits in darkness longing for Your light.
In the midst of darkness, enkindle our hope.
As we long for lasting peace in the midst of war,
Be with us.
As we long for families to be reunited, Be with us.
As we long for enemies to be reconciled, Be with us.
As we long for cures and healings, Be with us.
As we long for decent jobs and economic security,
Be with us.
As we long for love and community, Be with us.
Fulfill the deepest longings of your people and
Dispel the darkness in our hearts
and in our world.
Let your Word enkindle the hope the world needs
to bring to life your love and justice.
Amen.
--Education for Justice
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Advent Resource Guide
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 Preparing the Way
A handy reference list of additional resources for Advent saves you time in searching the web site. This two page resource includes a list of our most popular Advent materials and includes prayers, reflections, activities, prayer services, conscious consumer guides and service-learning suggestions and more.
Go to resource |
Advent Reflection for Week Two
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Obstacles and Crooked Paths
"A voice cries in the wilderness: Prepare the way for the Lord, make straight his paths." We know that divine love and grace flow infinitely in the paths of our lives, but that too often we block God's entrance. God sends us the message to straighten our paths and abandon our cooked ways. We need to straighten up our lives to prepare for the heart-stirring presence of God within us and our world. This reflection is based on Mark 1:1-5.
Go to resource
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Interactive Advent Calendar 2008
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 Daily Advent Reflections to Download
This interactive Advent Calendar can be downloaded right to your desktop. Using global solidarity as our
lens, these daily
Advent reflections focus on places around the world where glimmers of hope are
found even in the midst of struggles and suffering. The incarnation reveals an infinite horizon of hope.Go to resource |
Our Lady of Guadalupe
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 Feast Day: December 12
December 12, 2008 commemorates the 477th anniversary of the last of the apparitions of the Virgin Mary to Juan Diego. Each year between 18 - 20 million pilgrims visit the Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe in Mexico City.
The Basilica, which houses St. Juan Diego's tilma with the image of the Virgin, is Christianity's most visited sanctuary and one of the most visited pilgrimage sites in the world. This prayer to Our Lady of Guadalupe is a beautiful prayer in honor of the feast day.
Go to prayer
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Thomas Merton on Justice & Education
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 December 10
December 10, 2008 marks the 40th anniversary of the death of Thomas Merton. Merton was a Trappist Monk and prolific writer on topics ranging from prayer and contemplation to war and peace.
In honor of this anniversary, this four-page resource is a look at Thomas Merton's writing on education of the whole person and justice. The resource includes photos, reflection questions and a prayer. Go to resource |
Lectionary Reflection: Third Sunday of Advent
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 The readings for the Third Sunday of Advent call us to rejoice and celebrate as this Sunday is Gaudete Sunday and the pink candle is lit. The readings from Isaiah herald the reason to rejoice, "I rejoice heartily in the LORD, in my God is the joy of my soul; for he has clothed me with a robe of salvation and wrapped me in a mantle of justice..." Go to Lectionary Reflection |
Give A Gift Subscription to Education for Justice
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 Share the Gospel Vision
Consider giving a friend or colleague a gift subscription to Education for Justice. This gift will keep on giving all year long, and it's a perfect fit. Simply send us an e-mail at efjinfo@coc.org letting us know you would like to request a gift membership and we'll take it from there. A gift card complete with login information will be sent in your name. Gift Memberships are $58.00/year. Give a gift membership |
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