Daily Meditation for December 17, 2024

“Hope is being able to see that there is light despite all of the darkness” (Archbishop Desmond Tutu). Hope is the essence of Advent. In the northern hemisphere, daylight hours are at a minimum. Yet we know that Christmas is coming, a burst of light in the gloom. We look forward to Christmas trees and decorations, special foods, gifts and family gatherings, glimmers of light and hope within our grasp. But Advent hope is more than this. As Christians, we are blessed to await a greater and more mysterious light: Jesus’ coming into the world. The long, dark nights of December may tempt us to wallow in all that seems wrong in the world or in our life, but this season of Advent calls us out of darkness and into hope. The redeeming light of Christ is on the horizon. However deep the darkness, this Light shines through, always and forever.

By Karen Rose, OSB