‘There was a man send from God, whose name was John. He came as a witness, to bear witness about the Light, that all might believe through him. He was not the Light but came to bear witness about the Light. The true light which enlightens everyone, was coming into the world’ (John 1:6-9)

“Woe to an age when the voices of those who cry in the wilderness have fallen silent, outshouted by the noise of the day or outlawed or swallowed up in the intoxication of progress, or smothered and growing fainter for fear and cowardice.”

These are the words of Father Alfred Delp, a German pastor written from his prison cell shortly before was executed by the Nazi’s for refusing to recant on his Christian vocation and calling as a Jesuit priest who resisted the evil of Hitler and National Socialism during the Second World War. Like John the Baptist before him, he bore witness about the Light of Christ in the deep darkness of Nazi Germany for which he also paid the ultimate price of martyrdom.

The Advent messages he wrote from his prison cell which were scribbled on scraps of paper and smuggled out of Tegel prison by a sympathetic guard provide compelling witness to this Light and issue a profound wake-up call to us as Christians today – see Advent of the Heart: Seasonal Sermons and Prison Writings for the English translation.

We too are called to bear witness about the true light which lightens everyone who has come into the world – Jesus Christ! He told his disciples shortly before Pentecost, “… you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth” (Acts1:8).

The season of Advent invites us not only to come to the light of Christ which shines in the darkness, but to bear witness about this light that came into the world in the form of the baby of Bethlehem and continues to shine through all those who have received this glorious gift from God through faith!

Prayer:

 Loving God,

We thank you for the gift of your Son, the true light that continues to shine in the darkness of our fearful and anxious world. Help us to bear witness about this light through our words and actions to our families, friends and those we encounter during this season of love, joy and peace and throughout the coming year. We also thank you for the glorious gift of your Holy Spirit who empowers and strengthens us in our weakness to shine the light of your love in our dark world. In the name of Jesus, the Light of the World we pray. Amen