Child of Hope, We Welcome Your Coming

Reflection by Claudia B. 

As a child, I did not grow up with a full understanding of what the Advent season was. I honestly did not even know that there was an Advent season. I grew up with the notion that Christmas was simply about giving and receiving presents, and that on December 25, a long time ago, baby Jesus was born. I loved and still to this day, continue to love all of the decorations, tamales, and songs that accompany the season of Christmas. I did not give the emphasis that should be given to the fact that the season of Christmas was about the birth of Jesus Christ.

If I had heard “Child of hope, we welcome your coming” when I was younger, I probably would have just associated the Child of hope with Jesus Christ being born. Throughout my faith journey, I have learned that hope has a much greater meaning then I had given to it when I was younger. Hope gives me something to look forward to. It is what keeps me motivated to move forward with my faith journey, to do greater things than what I am doing now. We all come across many different obstacles in our lifetime that may hinder us from growing in our faith life.  This can cause everything one may know to be tested. Hope is what keeps me moving forward, striving to be a better friend, daughter, student, and, most importantly, person of faith.

Hope, to me, cannot be defined by some sort of definition in Webster’s Dictionary.  To me, hope is something that is learned throughout experiences in life, and one’s own faith journey. In the season of Advent, as well as in any other time of year, we find our hope in the birth of baby Jesus Christ. The hope that accompanies the birth of Jesus Christ gives me, and the whole world, something greater to strive for. I have learned that Christmas is much more than the tamales we eat, the presents we get, and songs we listen to. It is about the birth of Jesus Christ, Child of Hope.

 

Claudia B. is a Junior, majoring in Economics and minoring in International Relations.  She is actively involved in: Delta Zeta Sorority, Liturgical Ministry, Rattler Awakening, Leaders in Faith Training, and Catholic Daughters of the Americas.