This weekend the Church enters the season of Advent. In the Catholic tradition, Advent is a period of preparation extending over the four Sundays before Christmas. In this week's Principal reflection I offer you a Visio Divina experience.

The prayer of Visio Divina, or "divine seeing," involves the contemplation of art in conversation with God. In a society that is evermore inundated with images, Visio Divina invites us to slow down and truly look. We open the eyes of our soul and see how God is illuminated for us in art. This practice does not require any special knowledge or appreciation of art, just a willingness to attend to and interact with the colours, textures, forms and overall impressions.

"In the sixth month, the angel Gabriel was sent from God to a town of Galilee called Nazareth, to a virgin betrothed to a man named Joseph, of the house of David, and the virgin’s name was Mary. And coming to her, he said, “Hail, favoured one! The Lord is with you.” But she was greatly troubled at what was said and pondered what sort of greeting this might be. Then the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favour with God. Behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall name him Jesus. LUKE 1:26-31

As you gaze on the image of the angel Gabriel, where do your eyes linger? What do you notice? Can you imagine yourself there on the journey with Gabriel, God's messenger? Angels can be difficult beings to truly appreciate. Historically, in some parts of the Hebrew scriptures, angels are described as potentially terrifying individuals: amalgamated animal bodies of varying terror with wings and other oddities. In other places, angels take on a more familiar human form but with an added transcendence that is difficult for words to capture. To complicate things further, as beings that are not bound by time, angels are privy to knowledge of both human events and Godly events in a way that we might never fully understand.

As you imagine yourself there with Gabriel en route to share with Mary this unbelievable news, how do you relate? Perhaps we are like Gabriel: We know the story of what will happen and, having experienced its goodness, we are eager to live into its hope fully.

Angels like Gabriel are to be understood as "ministering spirits." They are unique conduits of the divine in that while they communicate decisions of God, they are also ministers, beings intended to guide us back toward God. Angels walk with us in our troubles, and like Gabriel to Mary, remind us that "the Lord is with you."

Who are the ministering spirits in your life? As you continue your journey with God, where in your life are you encountering Gabriel? Conversely, how are you a ministering spirit to others in the St Brigid's community? How do your words and actions serve as a reminder to others of God's unwavering commitment to us?

Yours in Faith, Justice and Learning