I took this photo yesterday at Holy Well Primary School in Carrigaline, Co.Cork, during an Advent Prayer Service. The first candle on the wreath was lit on Sunday and will remain lighting all this week. All the candles around the wreath remind us how important our light is and how at Christmas we need to celebrate your light and the difference it makes.
On This Day
On December 5th 2017 Russia is banned from the Winter Olympics in South Korea over state-sponsored doping
On December 5th 2018 CO2 emissions reach all-time high (up 2.7%) driven by coal use in China and consumption of oil, revealed in a Global Carbon Project report
Birthdays Today
Ronnie O’Sullivan (Snooker Player) is 48
Sean Quinn (Businessman) is 76
Saint For Today
The Saint for today is Saint Sabas
Significance Of Today
Today is World Soil Day. Soil is, without a doubt, one of the most significant parts of the ecosystem. Contributing to people’s food, water and energy and playing an important part in reducing the impact of climate change, soil is a vital part of life. Unfortunately many take our soil for granted. It is under more pressure due to the effects of climate change, such as soil erosion due to flooding and soil becoming desert because of a lack of water. World Soil Day puts the emphasis on nurturning and minding the gift that soil is to our survival.
Interesting Quote For Today
“Challenges are what make life interesting and overcoming them is what makes life meaningful.” ~Joshua J. Marine
Did You Know
Did you know crows are very intelligent birds and can recognise human faces and remember them for their entire lives
Video for the week🎥 (Updated every Wednesday🎥)
This weeks video is called ‘Everyone can plough a new beginning.’ A new video will be posted here tomorrow
Thought For The Week
Advent increases our hope, a hope which does not disappoint.’ ~Pope Francis
This weekend just gone marked the beginning of our journey through Advent. The season of Advent can be a lovely time to think and reflect about the important things in life. For me it is such a beautiful time of year. Everyone agrees that Christmas can be busy and stressful. But Advent can allow us to pause and reflect, if we can make the time for this. It can also be a time to celebrate the little and important things in life. It allows us to express our love for each other in meaningful ways.
We know the world we live in today can best be described as fragile, frantic and often seems to have no anchor. The same can sometimes be described of our own lives too. No matter how busy we are, there is an in-built need to mind ourselves, to relax, to be ourselves, to recharge and to prioritise what is important. The only way this can happen is when we slow down enough, but as we all know so well, doing this is always a challenge.
Advent 2023 has a powerful message that no matter how dark things may get there will always be light and hope. The prayers of Advent touch in on each person walking in some darkness and yet awaiting and anticipating a great light. The prayers also include prayers for peace. These prayers are not wishful thinking but genuine heartfelt prayers that can and will find results. Even if these results come in whispers we will gladly embrace them. Advent is a time for us to hear those other quiet whispers in our lives of a God gently calling us from darkness to light. I hope and pray that the coming weeks of Advent will have some meaning for you.
The Thought For The Week is updated each Monday
