During World War 2, a certain Christian gentleman wanted to communicate the message of God's great love for them to the soldiers at a base camp. According to army regulations, he was not to 'proclaim religion' at the camp. But he was firmly determined to carry out his mission, so he devised a unique way of doing it. He bought several thousand hand mirrors and had them delivered to the soldiers through the army chaplains. On the back of each mirror, he had printed from the Gospel of John: "For God so loved the world He gave His Son, so that everyone who believes in Him may not die, but have eternal life." Below the text, he inscribed, "If you wish to see whom God loves, turn to the other side."

The season of Advent feels like the right time to reflect on a) the mystery of God's love as embodied in the Incarnation of Jesus Christ, b) the mystery of the goodness and largesse of God in embracing our humanity so that He can be present in us, as He was in a human way in His Son, Jesus, c) the mystery of God using us, as effective instruments of His saving mission in the world today, by letting Himself take flesh in us, d) the mystery that, believing that, through His birth, Jesus Christ has made an impact on our planet for the better, e) … the list is endless.

Into a world oppressed and torn, of boundless hate and forces wild, Where men were hungry, lost, forlorn, God sent a child.

Into a world maimed and dead, of nations each with selfish plans,

Where men were leaderless or misled, God sent a man.

And when an age has lost its way and power is valued more than men,

In lives where He has voice and sway, GOD WILL COME AGAIN.

- John Morrison, "Truly one tiny child, one gigantic revolution for humankind!!"

Advent offers us the chance to engage in meaningful introspection and contemplation on the events, atmosphere, and people involved in the circumstances surrounding Jesus' birth. It allows us to grow in our enthusiasm for Jesus Himself, in our eagerness to not just know about Him but to know Him better, with a knowledge that springs forth from love and leads to love, so that we are able to follow Him more closely.

In the year preceding my retirement at Canossa High School, Mahim, I had asked the students of my Religion Class of standard 10 to maintain a notebook wherein they were to record their personal experiences of the different activities conducted. One of the projects was pondering and answering some hard-hitting questions relevant today. e.g. Should Abortion and same-sex marriages be made legal? What is the validity of live-in relationships and inter-faith marriages, amongst others? Another was to reflect and bring out the aspect of mercy they saw predominantly in a person.

I had carried the books home to peruse at leisure during the Diwali vacations, with the intention of trying to get to know the mindset of these young adults, the NOW of our Church, soon to take on the big bad world. While many different examples of mercy came forth, ranging from saints of yore to present-day social activists, one of the students stood out, for this is what she wrote.

"A few people came to mind including St. Teresa of Kolkata. Then it occurred to me that I had second-hand knowledge of these people and did not know what they were really like, except what I had heard and read about them which was how others saw them. The person who was a missionary and a symbol of mercy and a good one too was my own mother. My mom had made it her life's mission to be a housewife and a mother to me and my family. My mom has never been selfish and never put herself first before her family. I have never been starved or been without her endless love. Like other famous missionaries who served the world, my mother too needed a lot of courage. She could have continued at her job drawing a handsome salary and she could have easily gone off to kitty parties but she didn't. She made the supreme sacrifice of thinking about me before thinking about herself. I am very lucky to have a 'Missionary Mother', my very own 'Angel of Mercy' as if to say."

When I read this reflection, I was immediately reminded of Mary's instinctive feeling of nurturing. She rushed to her aged cousin's aid and attended to her with care and concern rather than basking in her own glory. Most of the time, we struggle to understand God's will for us, and even if we do, we baulk at accepting it unconditionally. And then ADVENT comes along, providing us with a reason to meditate on someone like Mary, to whom God communicated His desire that she become the mother of our Saviour. This season offers us the opportunity to ask our Blessed Mother to intercede for us so that, like her, we too may experience deep, abiding FAITH and TRUST in God.

Till a while back, I often wondered why God chose a life of poverty for His Son. Archbishop Oscar Romero opened my eyes when he stated - "We must not see the child Jesus only in the pretty figures in our Christmas cribs and children's plays. We must seek Him in the undernourished who have gone to bed tonight without eating." Now, I believe at Advent, I am called to pray for a heart that reaches out in sensitivity to the least of my brothers and sisters. While I work hard to secure my own fragile life and the lives of my family members, I must be open to understanding the challenges that the less fortunate face and the fortitude they need to stay faithful to Christ within the messy reality of their lives. I also believe this season grants me the grace and courage to follow "The Star" – the Star being the inner light in me until I find Christ. Because when I find Christ, the crib in my heart will be complete, et voilà, it will be Christmas every day.