This Sunday, 1 December, to coincide with the first day of Advent, Bishop Fintan Monahan of Killaloe, and the Irish Catholic Bishops’ Conference delegate for Jubilee Year 2025, will launch the digital 2024 Advent calendar with the theme of Hope on www.catholicbishops.ie
Advent also marks the beginning of the new calendar year for Christians. The digital Advent calendar offers a distinctive and spiritually enriching way to journey through this holy season. Based on the Jubilee Year’s theme of #Hope, the 2024 calendar offers prayers and resources designed to guide individuals, families and faith communities to reflect on the hope that Christ brings to the world, while also preparing for the upcoming Holy Jubilee Year in 2025.
Launching the 2024 digital calendar, Bishop Monahan said, “As we enter this season to prepare for the second coming of Christ, we note the major themes of Advent: waiting and preparation, darkness and light, and the promise of comfort and hope. I encourage all to avail of our online Advent calendar and make prayerful space for God in our lives, each day, over the next four weeks. I respectfully invite individuals and families to use the calendar as part of their daily prayer routine and to incorporate it into parish activities.
“Sadly, in 2024, we journey through Advent against a troubling backdrop of war, violence, and family displacement in many parts of the world. From the devastation in Ukraine to the ongoing strife in the Holy Land, our hearts are heavy with the pain of our brothers and sisters who are enduring unimaginable hardship due to conflict and climate change. Yet, it is precisely in these times of darkness that the light of Christ shines most brightly.
“The theme of this year’s Advent Calendar is Hope reminding us that Christian hope is not a passive feeling, but a powerful force that calls us to action, compassion, and solidarity. In the midst of suffering and despair, we are called to renew our trust in God’s promises, to pray for peace, and to reach out with love to those who are experiencing misery.”
“For Advent 2024 let us reflect on the hope that Christ’s coming brings in terms of healing and reconciliation in our broken world. I thank all of the contributors to our digital calendar as they are supporting us with our own spiritual preparations for Christmas as well as in our Christian roles as instruments of peace in our parishes and in the world,” Bishop Monahan concluded.
2024 marks the eleventh year of this popular seasonal resource that has established a unique presence on the web. As viewers open a digital door each day of Advent, they will experience brief personal video reflections relating to the Advent season delivered by lay women and men, young people and clergy, including prayers and scripture passages that encourage contemplation and action throughout the Advent season.