There is a wisdom to beginning anew, with some regularity. At work it is good to step back now and then and consider whether we are progressing as desired, or whether we are even still on the path we first elected. In personal and family life, where routine can become the enemy of love's expression, how important it is often to pause and look into the eyes of a loved one as if we were seeing them for the first time. What a miracle it is that this person exists at all, and is in my life, and that we are joined by the bond of love.
The liturgical year of the Church's life bears this same wisdom to us. Last Sunday we celebrated the final Sunday of the Church's year, bowing before Christ the King. This very next Sunday we find ourselevs at the beginning, at the first Sunday of the Church's year, at the threshold of Advent. Grace invites us to see the presence and the promise of God today with a fresh eye, to hear the Gospel as if we never had before, to wake up to the wonder of God existing at all, of God caring for us at all, of God caring beyond all borders and electing to come among us. Today we begin, anew, to consider all of this, and so much profoundly more. What a gift.
At Mercer School we begin by inaugurating this afternoon our online reading, in common, of Christopher Webber's edited collection, Advent with Evelyn Underhill. Join us on Mercer's Facebook page, Conversations at Mercer, to discuss day-by-day through the season what Evelyn Underhill shares with us and how it applies to us now during Advent 2013.
In this season, as always, responsibilities continue. Among our responsibilities to one another in Church and society is that of confronting racism, of coming to understand and know one another across differences, respecting and celebrating our diversity all the while. For many, this is a challenge. We seek to help one another by beginning again the offering of Racism Awareness workshops here in the Diocese of Long Island. The first is scheduled for Saturday, December 14th at Mercer in Garden City. Information on the day, and online registation instruction, is available from the Mercer homepage (www.mercerschool.org) by clicking on Coming Events/Register on the lefthand column. From the calendar that appears, click on the date of December 14th, There you will you see RAP listed (Racism Awareness Program). Click directly on the program title and you'll see a description you can scroll through and a link to register, Incidentally you can explore and register for all Mercer's offerings in the same way.
Blessings to all as we begin again together. Thanks be to God for the opportunity!
Pax,
John+
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