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Third Week of Advent
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December 15, 2008 |
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Dear Education for Justice Members,
The pace of life today seems to work against the intent of this liturgical season to be one of contemplation and waiting. The rush of activities and demands on time and resources can contribute to undue stress and greater anxiety. May you find the time in these remaining days to let God's stillness calm you, transform you, and abide with you. We can't change the number of hours in the day, but we can re-focus and re-center our lives during this time, putting all else in perspective.
Wishing you a Blessed Advent,
The Education for Justice Team |
Advent Prayer - God of Our Longing
God
of our longing
hear
our prayers,
protect
our dreams,
and
listen to our silent hopes.
Deal
gently with our pain,
speak
to our sadness
and
remove the barriers
that
imprison our spirit.
Shed
your light
where
shadows are cast,
that
we may feel your warmth
and
know your presence.
Give
us courage
to
hold fast to our vision
that
we may build our world
and
create our future.
Amen.
-CAFOD
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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.
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Advent Reflection for Week Three
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 Becoming Children of God
As we prepare for the great feast, we reflect on what it means to be
part of the mystery of the 'Word made flesh', and what it means to
accept the Word into our lives. If we step back and watch how we live a
day, can we see ourselves celebrating the glory of our human love in
our encounters, relationships and actions? How could we better embody
the glory of God's grace and truth? This reflection is based on John 1:9-14.
Go to resource |
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 |
Lectionary Reflection: Fourth Sunday of Advent
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 The readings for the Fourth Sunday of Advent call us to ponder the newness of God's indwelling for all of humanity. The scripture today speaks to our human situation and reminds us that God wants to create something new in the midst of all the injustice, violence, economic issues, confusion, and terror. God wants to create a reign of justice, peace, simplicity, and hope. We are invited to make God's reign real. Go to resource |
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 |
A Model for the Church: Cardinal Avery Dulles
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 Died December 12, 2008 at age 90.
We echo the condolences of the world-wide church and celebrate a life lived in tremendous service and fidelity. Cardinal Dulles, teacher, theologian, priest, is known among other things for the models of the Church he presented after Vatican II, identifying the Church as sacrament, as community, as herald, as servant.
Just before the Pope's visit, Cardinal Dulles gave his last McGinley
Lecture at Fordham University. The cardinal could not speak but was
present in a wheelchair, while his lecture was read for him.
In
this last lecture he wrote that "suffering and diminishment are not the
greatest of evils, but are normal ingredients in life, especially in
old age. They are to be accepted as elements of a full human existence."
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Pope's World Day for Peace Messages
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 At the threshold of a New Year
Each year, the pope issues a statement for January 1 known as his 'World Day for Peace' message. This year's message is titled: "Fighting Poverty to Build Peace." To read and reflect on this year's statement and the previous years' statements see the link below.
Go to resource
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Situation in Congo
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 Message of the Holy See
In a message released on Thursday, December 11, 2008, the Holy See condemns the large-scale occurrence of serious violations
of human rights and of humanitarian law in Congo. It deplores the recruitment of
children and adolescents as soldiers. It is alarmed by the many cases
of torture and other cruel, inhumane and degrading treatment, including
the frequent occurrence of sexual violence against women and girls by
all parties to the conflict. The international community needs to act
swiftly in the face of these grave infringements of human rights.
Go to prayer for the people of Congo
Go to statement
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