24 December

Our final Wave of Hope reflection for Advent comes from the 11th Archbishop of Westminster, Cardinal Vincent Nichols.

Cardinal Vincent, after an incredibly memorable year, found goodness and hope in the pupils he met on a visit to a secondary school just before Advent. This inspired him to the central message of his reflection:

“Reflect on the goodness in your life, the goodness you’ve received from all sorts of people – maybe even from people you don’t know. When you embrace the goodness, then you will find hope springing in your heart.”

Wave of Hope offers 25 short multimedia reflections for the season – one a day – as our contributors share a moment in 2025 that has led them to a place of hope.

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23 December

This Wave of Hope reflection for Advent comes from Archbishop John Wilson, Archbishop of Southwark.

Archbishop John was particularly inspired by a primary school Advent carol service in St George’s Cathedral, with over 1,000 pupils celebrating Christ’s story in song, word and drama.

“Let’s recapture this Christmas, the joy of what it is to come with wonder and awe before the Nativity scene of the Lord Jesus, and not just welcome him into that scene, but most importantly, with great hope, to welcome him into our hearts.”

Wave of Hope offers 25 short multimedia reflections for the season – one a day – as our contributors share a moment in 2025 that has led them to a place of hope.

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You can subscribe to our Wave of Hope podcast reflections using your podcast platform of choice. Subscribe using Apple Podcasts, Spotify and Amazon/Audible.

Feed: cbcew.org.uk/feed/podcast/wave-of-hope/

22 December

This Wave of Hope reflection for Advent comes from Professor Philip Booth, Director of Policy and Research for the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of England and Wales.

Professor Booth finds hope in the words of Pope Benedict XVI, and specifically in his first encyclical letter:

“On Christmas Day, 20 years ago, Pope Benedict XVI published an encyclical, Deus Caritas Est. In it, he gives us a message of true hope or trust that with the Lord’s help, we will have the strength to follow the path to which God has called us. And that is all He asks of us.”

Wave of Hope offers 25 short multimedia reflections for the season – one a day – as our contributors share a moment in 2025 that has led them to a place of hope.

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You can subscribe to our Wave of Hope podcast reflections using your podcast platform of choice. Subscribe using Apple Podcasts, Spotify and Amazon/Audible.

Feed: cbcew.org.uk/feed/podcast/wave-of-hope/

21 December

This Wave of Hope short reflection for Advent comes from Father Stephen Wang, Rector of the Venerable English College in Rome, one of the five seminaries training priests for England and Wales.

Fr Stephen found signs of hope in three places this year. Firstly in witnessing the number of enthusiastic and faithful pilgrims that have visited Rome for the Jubilee Year. Secondly in the faith and example of the seminarians training for the priesthood, and thirdly in the increasing number of young people finding their way to the Catholic Church.

“Despite all the difficulties that people face, there is a hunger for truth, for meaning, for beauty, and it’s leading many of them to Jesus, to the Bible, to the Mass, and to the Church. The real question is this: are we ready to welcome them and to lead them deeper in their journey of faith?”

Wave of Hope offers 25 short multimedia reflections for the season – one a day – as our contributors share a moment in 2025 that has led them to a place of hope.

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You can subscribe to our Wave of Hope podcast reflections using your podcast platform of choice. Subscribe using Apple Podcasts, Spotify and Amazon/Audible.

Feed: cbcew.org.uk/feed/podcast/wave-of-hope/

20 December

This Wave of Hope reflection for Advent comes from Fleur Dorrell, Biblical Apostolate Manager for the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of England and Wales.

Fleur found hope in the hidden but important details that make up every stage of our lives – in family and friendships, in hospitality and community outreach in the places where we live.

“Biblical hope reminds me that the present is provisional and death is not the end. No system, knowledge, or power on this Earth can define the fullness of truth found in Jesus Christ. This has been my anchor throughout this year.”

Wave of Hope offers 25 short multimedia reflections for the season – one a day – as our contributors share a moment in 2025 that has led them to a place of hope.

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You can subscribe to our Wave of Hope podcast reflections using your podcast platform of choice. Subscribe using Apple Podcasts, Spotify and Amazon/Audible.

Feed: cbcew.org.uk/feed/podcast/wave-of-hope/

19 December

This Wave of Hope reflection for Advent comes from Father James Hanvey SJ, Secretary for the Service of Faith of the Society of Jesus.

Fr Hanvey found hope in how people gathered in St Peter’s Square to pray for Pope Francis as he was dying:

“It was a grace just to be one of the crowd. No, not an anonymous crowd, but the Holy People of God, a Church at prayer, simply and with faith and with hope. I knew that whatever the situation of the world – its wars, its sufferings, the rise and decline of all its powers – this was the Church here, now, and in this place, the church of ordinary people that would endure and carry its love and its prayer for the whole world.”

Wave of Hope offers 25 short multimedia reflections for the season – one a day – as our contributors share a moment in 2025 that has led them to a place of hope.

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You can subscribe to our Wave of Hope podcast reflections using your podcast platform of choice. Subscribe using Apple Podcasts, Spotify and Amazon/Audible.

Feed: cbcew.org.uk/feed/podcast/wave-of-hope/

18 December

This Wave of Hope short Advent reflection comes from Dr Harry Hagopian, an international lawyer and a church consultant on the Middle East North Africa region and the Gulf States.

“Hope is merely staying alive for most Palestinians today,” reflects Dr Hagopian, who hails originally from Jordan. “Hope is being able to preserve the property that the farmers have in Palestine – to harvest the olive groves. Hope is being recognised by all as a child of God, no matter our background.”

Wave of Hope offers 25 short multimedia reflections for the season – one a day – as our contributors share a moment in 2025 that has led them to a place of hope.

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You can subscribe to our Wave of Hope podcast reflections using your podcast platform of choice. Subscribe using Apple Podcasts, Spotify and Amazon/Audible.

Feed: cbcew.org.uk/feed/podcast/wave-of-hope/

17 December

This Wave of Hope reflection for Advent comes from Alistair Dutton, General Secretary of Caritas Internationalis.

There were two aspects of the Jubilee Year of Hope that gave Alistair reason to be hopeful – the increasing role that women and young people are playing in the leadership and life of the Caritas Confederation, and the ‘Declaration of Hope’ made by young people at the Caritas Internationalis youth forum:

“Something that particularly gave me hope was the youth forum that we had in the middle of the year and especially the energy, passion, and creativity that all our young people brought to that event.”

Wave of Hope offers 25 short multimedia reflections for the season – one a day – as our contributors share a moment in 2025 that has led them to a place of hope.

Subscribe

You can subscribe to our Wave of Hope podcast reflections using your podcast platform of choice. Subscribe using Apple Podcasts, Spotify and Amazon/Audible.

Feed: cbcew.org.uk/feed/podcast/wave-of-hope/