Advent Appeal 2024
Don't wait this Advent to help families in Ukraine who are facing dangerously low temperatures after fleeing the violence of Russia's invasion.
Tetiana Stawnychy, the President of Caritas Ukraine
“Prepare the way of the Lord, make his paths straight. ”
It was the fifteenth year of Tiberius Caesar’s reign. Pontius Pilate was governor of Judea. Herod was tetrarch in Galilee. Annas and Caiaphas served as high priests. By placing John’s preaching in this context of the political and religious leaders of the time, Luke reminds us that God breaks into our history and continues to send his messengers into the fabric of our everyday life.
Even as we eagerly anticipate our future encounter with the Lord in fullness, we are called to come together to make a straight path for the Lord today. One way we can do this is through supporting the global Caritas International family, of which CAFOD is a part.
Tetiana Stawnychy, President of Caritas Ukraine, said “There is something about the way the Caritas family works. It’s a community – a community of people who are supporting one another and there is a strength in that solidarity. And you feel it both at the level in Ukraine and you also feel it with you, with our supporters from outside of Ukraine, that together we are creating this one community, this solidarity that is acting in opposite to war, in opposite to destruction and chaos.”
Preparing the way of the Lord means more than hoping for the final fulfilment of God’s promise. It means actively recognising God is at work in the world and joining in this work, participating in the creation of a better world for all people.
Advent prayer
Merciful God,
you sent John the Baptist
to prepare for the coming of Christ.
May your Spirit be with us
as we wait for your Son’s coming
so we may make a straight path
in our hearts and in our world.
Amen.
Act
If you are able to, please give generously to our Advent appeal today.