Dear friends in Christ

We now begin a new year in the life of the Church. This Sunday—the First of Advent—heralds the start of a year when we shall once more trace the events of salvation starting with the Prophets through to the Birth of Jesus, His Life, Death and Resurrection, right up to the birth of the Church at Pentecost. This liturgical calendar we live-out in parallel with the calendar of normal world-time and events, but through the celebration of the mysteries of our Faith, we make holy all human activity.

During each Advent we have the double challenge of living our faith in preparation for the coming of Christ at the end of the world and also of preparing to celebrate his Birth when he comes in time—the Incarnation. We need to pray for the grace to keep watching, to be vigilant, so that the cares and events of this world do not overtake us, nor cloud our vision as we strain ahead, always looking to the moment when this world and this life are dissolved. Then shall we finally come to live that life for which we pray daily in the Mass, as we wait in joyful hope for the coming of our Saviour, Jesus Christ.

The family of the Diocese of Brentwood unites in sorrow at this time following the death of Bishop Thomas McMahon on Monday morning; he was in his ninetieth year but had been sick for some months. This is a personal sadness for me since I received Priestly Ordination at his hands in 1984. He was our longest serving Bishop, from 1980 to 2014. His Requiem Mass will be offered in Brentwood Cathedral on Tuesday, 16th December. However, numbers will be restricted, so if you wish to attend you might ask me. May he rest in peace.

I wish you every blessing for a new year, for this Advent season, and for a truly vigilant preparation for the Nativity of Our Lord.

Msgr Kevin Hale