Some Christian traditions mark the first Sunday of Advent, Dec 3 this year, by lighting the candle of hope—a symbol representing God's promises and faith in Jesus. Advent, a liturgical season commencing after Thanksgiving and concluding on Christmas Day, is also an experience of the gifts of hope, peace, joy, and love, Jesus came to give us. This Advent join me for a stroll down memory lane capturing the enchantment of hope through pictures and stories from different traditions and places.
I was in India, some years ago on the first Sunday of Advent, to bless a wedding at St. Luke’s Chapel, Schieffelin Institute of Health Research and Leprosy Centre, Karigiri, Tamil Nadu, south India, where a mullai - forest - of trees towers above all.