We have beutiful Advent traditions in the cloister. One of them is singing Advent hymns and listening to touching stories read before us about Advent or anything that generally speaks of God’s goodness and love, of man’s trust and hopes, of faith journeys, forgiveness, etc. During Sunday recreation, we gather around the Advent wreath with lighted candles. Since today is the second Sunday of Advent, we have also lighted the second one. Now there are 2 burning candles, a symbol of the growing anticipation of the coming of Christ, a symbol of hope and joy.
I like this traditon – the stories that the Sisters read are so heartwarming and encouraging. Some are true to life stories, some are non-fiction, some are like fairytale….but each story carries with it a lesson that we could learn and eventually practice. In between stories, we sing appropriate hymns. This practice continues on until the Christmas season as we gather around the crib. The true stories read before us are so touching. Really, there is nothing more encouraging and uplifitng than stories of people so human as we are, ordinary people so blessed by God even in the midst of trials and struggles, because they trust, they love and believe!
