Tag: Advent

The event of Christmas is something so huge and so profound, not even the most open mind can fully comprehend it. There's always something more to say. Nevertheless, this year I'd like to go in a different direction and talk, instead, about what Christmas isn't.

When did you last read a book all the way through? asks Philippa Martyr.

Women from across Sydney gathered in their hundreds to spend the day with the Sisters of Life at St Joachim’s in Lidcombe, on 29 November, for a rare opportunity to slow down and rediscover the true reason for the season at an Advent retreat.

Social media abuse can ruin your heart, mind, and soul. Give it a rest this Advent, says Philippa Martyr.

So you don’t do anything worth confessing? I’m here to tell you that you’re wrong, says Philippa Martyr.

We’ve all been on the receiving end of that ‘attention hijack’ and it hurts. Yet, rather than discuss it, we often end up soothing those hurt feelings by withdrawing into our own digital escape.  

For most women, Christmas is an annual exercise in chaos management and seasonal survival. Hope and renewal might be the last two gifts on the Christmas wish list.

This is the edited text for Gaudete Sunday (3rd Sunday of Advent) at St Mary's Cathedral, Sydney 15 December 2024. 

Philippa Martyr writes on how Advent invites reflection on the Four Last Things: death, judgment, heaven, and hell. Our daily choices shape eternity's destination.

In all this busy-work and busy-play, it’s easy for us to lose sight of the guest of honour, arriving at his birthday utterly exhausted. Here are three ideas to reset our Advent.

"Advent mirrors the waiting in Point Clare—a season of expectation, hope, and transformation, where quiet moments prepare for new beginnings."

The "Jesse Tree" was often used to illuminate medieval manuscripts. It also appeared on altarpieces, in stained glass, as icon art, and—as this week’s Brush with Faith demonstrates —as fresco pieces.