Advent reflection for 3 December

Jesus takes pity on the crowd and shares out seven loaves and a few small fish to feed them all. It is a story of welcome, of compassion, where Jesus meets the physical needs of his people.

The camp where Palestinian refugee Mariam lives is situated in a remote, mountainous part of Lebanon. During winter, the camp is often covered in deep snow for weeks. Employment opportunities are scarce, making it hard for families to earn money for food and fuel to keep themselves warm and fed.

As Mariam says, “To stay warm here, you need a river of fuel.”

In the daytime, Mariam wears a jacket and sits wrapped up in as many blankets as possible, as protection against the bitter cold. She has to save what fuel she has for the long nights when the temperature drops still further.

“The weather is so cold,” she says. “I’m sitting out shivering. If we burn the fuel now, how can we use the heater at night? We need to spare some fuel for night-time. The night is long.”

Support from CAFOD has helped our partners get Mariam enough fuel to stay warm. But many of our global neighbours still face a cruel winter.

In the gospel today, the disciples provide the bread and fish that Jesus blesses and uses to feed the hungry crowd. This Advent, we are called as disciples of Christ to think about what we can do to support the needs of our brothers and sisters throughout the world.

Advent prayer

God of mercy,
move us to give generously
of all that we have,
so that you may multiply our gifts,
bringing comfort and warmth
to all people.
Amen.

Act

This Advent season, please consider a donation to our Advent Appeal. Your donation could provide warmth and safety for women like Mariam in the Middle East.