Waiting in Hope: Advent Reflections
By Carla Bellone | Assistant to the Secretary for the Service of Faith
Advent is a time of waiting, a sacred season in which the Church prepares to celebrate the birth of the Saviour and to welcome once again the light of Christ into our world. It is a time of hope, and in a world often marked by uncertainty and anxiety, Advent reminds us that hope is not naïve optimism, but a deep trust in God's faithfulness, a hope that takes root even in darkness and grows silently towards the light.
As we journey through this season, we do so in the spirit of the 2025 Jubilee: Pilgrims of Hope. The Jubilee invites us to recognise that hope is not only a personal gift, but a shared calling: to be signs of God's mercy, to build peace and to open paths of reconciliation and renewal. To be pilgrims of hope means walking together with open eyes and hearts, looking for signs of God's mercy and justice manifesting themselves in our midst. In the quiet of Advent, we listen for the whisper of new beginnings. Each reflection in this series offers a moment to pause and pray, to notice where hope is already sprouting: in our communities, in acts of compassion, in the quiet perseverance of faith. As we wait with hope during this Advent, let us learn anew to trust in the God who makes all things new and to walk as pilgrims toward the dawn of renewal.
A Taste of Hope
Faith’s Journey Toward New Life
As a little girl in Nigeria, Faith loved baking sweets and treats to help her family forget their troubles for a while. But one dreadful day, interreligious violence tore everything away. With no family or home left and nowhere safe to stay, she fled her country alone, crossing the desert and the sea.
Arriving in Italy, Faith found safety, but she felt she had lost herself: “I felt like a child again, having to learn everything from scratch, with the world around me feeling too big.”
Little by little, she began rebuilding her life and she started remembering her passion for baking. With help from Centro Astalli (JRS Italy), she enrolled in a pastry course. The first time she baked again, the familiar aroma of fresh dough brought back memories of home and family. It was like opening a door to a part of herself she thought was lost forever.
Today, Faith works in a bakery in Rome. Baking is more than a livelihood; it is her journey back to the warmth of home.
[From the JRS Advent booklet 2025]
Prayer to Light the Candle
God of Hope, You call us to walk in Your light even when the path is uncertain. Be close to refugees who journey through darkness and fear. Strengthen our faith, that we may walk with them as true pilgrims of hope, trusting in Your promises.
[From the JRS Advent booklet 2025]
Related Posts:
For ten years, MAG+S Timor-Leste has been quietly accompanying young people. In our small community shaped by friendship, prayer, and service, many young people have encountered the richness of Ignatian spirituality and discovered a deeper relationship with God...
The Holy Father’s intention for the month of May, “That everyone might have food,, focuses on the most urgent challenges of our time: hunger and wasted food.
More than 22 million people in over 90 countries pray each month around the same intention – the one the Pope puts forward. They don’t belong to the same organization or follow the same program, but are united across vastly different contexts – parishes, shrines, prayer groups...
Lord Jesus, on this glorious morning,
When you rose from the dead,
May our hearts be filled with gratitude and awe
For the love You showed us on the cross.
Good Friday is a strange day for most Christians. It is a day of contrasts. While the Church keeps the solemn liturgy of the crucifixion, passion and death of Christ the rest of the world carries on with its usual business completely oblivious of what is taking place. Oblivious of what has taken place...
Elías López, a Jesuit from Spain, addresses the challenge of discerning conflicts within groups and communities. He emphasizes the importance of collectively discerning the conflict itself as a path to healing and regenerating communion – an essential foundation for participation and mission...
