Today, we join people around the world in celebrating the First Sunday of Advent. As we enter the season of Christ’s coming, God made human for the salvation of each one of us, we are invited into a time of quiet expectation, a space where hope is not passive but carefully nurtured. Advent teaches us that light does not appear all at once; it grows slowly, often gently, through small acts of compassion, courage, and solidarity.
In the coming weeks, as we journey towards Christmas, we will share each Sunday a thought, a reflection, or a prayer from different parts of the world — especially those still deeply marked by crisis, violence, and sorrow, where hope can feel like a distant concept, difficult to cultivate. We begin this Advent season with a reflection by Nicolás Paz, Director of the Catholic Nonviolence Initiative.
In a world marked by conflict, uncertainty, and unrest, Advent calls us to resist despair. It reminds us that peace is not simply the absence of war, but the daily choice to build bridges, to listen, to humanise one another. It begins within us and expands outward, into our relationships, our communities, and our shared imagination. Today we light the first candle, in the hope that this light may grow and spread as peace in the world and in the heart of each one of us.
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