The Bishop of St Asaph has asked for his Advent message to be circulated, so it forms this week’s reflection and is available below in Welsh or English.
May Advent bring forgiveness, wider vision, fresh hope – and an Advent-ure!
With my prayers; pob bendith,
Christine, Priest Guardian.
Advent Message from the Bishop of St Asaph 2024
It’s good to have the opportunity to communicate with you once again this Advent Sunday, and to reflect about how our life as a diocese has been developing, both in the year past and in the year ahead.
In the diocese we’ve been living into our three foci – Growing Faith, Bringing Hope and Demonstrating Love. This year, I’d like to focus on Bringing Hope. One of the great saints of the Church, St Augustine of Hippo, spoke about the festival of Easter. It maybe a surprise to be talking about Easter in Advent, but he said to his churches, “We are an Easter People and Alleluia is our song.” We are an Easter people and “Praise to God” is our song.
Christians should be bearers of Hope. We should be people who warm the hearts of those we encounter; who create courage and positive feelings; who transform the world into being a more hopeful, better place.
So how can we do that in a world that is fairly grim; a world in which people are suffering, in which there are levels of anxiety and need, of homelessness and food poverty, a world in which there is greater war than we have seen for a long time. We are still praying for peace in the Holy Land and peace in Ukraine. We are still seeing governments having to raise taxes and populations electing curious choices to be their leader. How do we bring hope in that situation?
I can tell you what brings me hope.
The first thing that brings me hope, is my belief that, in the end, as Christians, we affirm that God is in control. The message of the birth of the baby in Bethlehem is to say, “God has the work of salvation in hand. He is working to save us; He is working to put things right. He is our chief hope and stay in any situation”. “God help us – Hosanna, Free us” is the cry of the Christian church. God really does give me hope.
The second thing that brings me hope is my love for the Christian disciple, that is, the real joy I see in the eyes and the hearts of members of the Teulu Asaph.
So what is my Advent Message to you this year? Quite simply, “Put your trust in God. Deepen your knowledge of God so that he may bring you hope, so that you may become a bearer of hope to others; someone who will encourage, someone who will stand alongside, someone who makes time to be with other people – so that we can become an Advent people and “Alleluia” can still be our song.
Neges yr Adfent gan Esgob Llanelwy 2024
Mae’n dda cael cyfle i siarad â chi unwaith eto, ar y Sul hwn yn yr Adfent, ac i ystyried datblygiad ein bywyd fel esgobaeth, yn y flwyddyn sy’n dod i ben ac yn y flwyddyn sydd i ddod.
Rydym ni yn yr esgobaeth wedi bod yn ymroi i dair elfen ein harwyddair – tyfu ffydd, dod â gobaith a dangos cariad. Eleni, hoffwn ganolbwyntio ar ddod â gobaith. Efallai ei bod yn swnio’n rhyfedd i sôn am y Pasg yng nghyfnod yr Adfent, ond dyma a ddywedodd un o seintiau mawr yr eglwys, Awstin Sant, wrth ei eglwysi am ŵyl y Pasg, “Pobl y Pasg ydym ni ac Alelwia yw ein cân. Pobl y Pasg ydym ni a Mawl i Dduw yw ein cân.”
Dylai Cristnogion ddod â gobaith i bobl; dylem gynhesu calonnau’r rhai y down ar eu traws, dylem wneud i bobl deimlo’n ddewr ac yn gadarnhaol, a thrawsnewid y byd i fod yn lle gwell a mwy gobeithiol.
Ond sut allwn ni wneud hynny mewn byd sy’n filain; byd sy’n llawn sefyllfaoedd eithaf difrifol; byd lle mae pobl yn dioddef; lle mae llawer o bryder ac angen, digartrefedd a thlodi bwyd; byd lle mae mwy o ryfel nag a welsom ers amser maith; lle rydym yn dal i weddïo am heddwch yn y Wlad Sanctaidd ac yn Wcráin. Yr ydym yn gweld bod llywodraethau’n dal i orfod codi trethi a phoblogaethau’n dal i wneud dewisiadau rhyfedd wrth ddewis arweinydd?
Sut allwn ni ddod â gobaith yn y sefyllfa honno?
Gallaf i ddweud wrthych beth sy’n dod â gobaith i mi.
Y peth cyntaf sy’n dod â gobaith i mi yw fy mod yn credu ein bod ni fel Cristnogion yn cadarnhau mai Duw sy’n rheoli yn y pen draw. Byrdwn y neges am eni’r baban ym Methlehem yw bod iachawdwriaeth yn llaw Duw. Mae’n gweithio i’n hachub; mae’n gweithio i wneud pethau’n iawn. Ef yw ein prif obaith a chynhaliaeth mewn unrhyw sefyllfa. “Helpa ni Dduw – Hosanna, Rhyddha ni,” yw cri’r eglwys Gristnogol. Mae Duw wir yn rhoi gobaith i mi.
Ond y peth arall sy’n dod â gobaith i mi yw cariad disgyblion Cristnogol – y gwir lawenydd a welaf yn llygaid a chalonnau aelodau Teulu Asaph.
Felly beth yw fy Neges Adfent i chi eleni? Yn syml iawn, ymddiriedwch yn Nuw. Ewch ati i feithrin adnabyddiaeth ddyfnach o Dduw fel y daw ef â gobaith i chi, ac y dowch chi â gobaith i eraill. Trwy annog pobl, cydsefyll â nhw, a gwneud amser i fod yn eu cwmni, gallwn ni fod yn bobl yr Adfent ac “Alelwia” fydd ein cân o hyd.