‘Brothers and sisters:
‘When Christ came into the world, he said, “Sacrifices and offerings you have not desired, but a body have you prepared for me; in burnt offerings and sin offerings you have taken no pleasure.” Then I said, “Behold, I have come to do your will, O God, as it is written of me in the scroll of the book.”’
‘When he said above, “You have neither desired nor taken pleasure in sacrifices and offerings and burnt offerings and sin offerings” (these are offered according to the Law), then he added, “Behold, I have come to do your will”. He does away with the first in order to establish the second. And by that will we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.’ – Hebrews 10:5-10
Reflection
Imagine love so profound that it leaves the boundless expanse of heaven to curl up in a newborn’s tiny frame. This is the miracle we are looking forward to during Advent: God’s love not just proclaimed, but embodied. The incarnation isn’t a distant theological concept, but an intimate, vulnerable moment where divine love visits us in the frailest human form.
God has no interest in ritualistic sacrifices or empty gestures. Instead, Christ comes to us, to be with us, and show that what God wants is relationship.
This is a love that moves; that acts; that transforms. When Jesus says, ‘Behold, I have come to do your will,’ he reveals love’s truest nature—not as a passive sentiment, but an active, all-consuming commitment.
God’s love doesn’t demand; it invites. It doesn’t control; it liberates. In Christ’s coming, we see love’s most radical promise: that God chooses to walk alongside us, to know us, to redeem us – not from a distance, but up close, tender, and vulnerable.
With love as our guide and our standard, how can we do anything but be there for one another? How can we refuse to take this love we have been granted so freely, so selflessly, and share it with every one of God’s children? How do we encounter Christ if not embodied in each other? Through love, we reshape not only ourselves but our entire world; even as Christ’s saving love reshaped his divinity into humanity.
Missionaries like Fr Léon have answered God’s call to embody love in the world. Sent to those areas of our world which struggle with poverty, conflict, corruption, and every kind of hardship, missionaries become the embodiment of Christ’s love in a broken world. Missionaries do more than give practical help. Through Christ they reveal the strength, dignity, and knowledge that is inherent in every person.
Fr Léon believes in his community and in the power of God’s Spirit to transform lives; he has faith in the young people, and that enables them to have faith and belief in themselves. Through service, through dedication, through the simple yet enormous act of doing God’s will, missionaries show everyone they serve that they are loved – by God and by us.
If you would like to support Fr Léon and these inspiring young people, along with many other missionaries and struggling faith communities throughout the world, please make a gift to our Christmas Appeal today.
A choir built on love
We are so happy and inspired by the story of Fr Léon and the Holy Angels Youth Choir. The amazing bravery and determination shown by this community is encouraged and supported by your help and prayers. Watch this video of the community singing the carol ‘Mary’s Boychild’ – a beautiful reminder of how love arrived at Christmas.
A prayer for love
God of Endless Love,
You chose to enter our world as a child:
vulnerable and small.
Help us to be vulnerable,
Ready to open our hearts
And become vessels of your light and love,
So that we, in turn, may bring our sisters and brothers who do not know you
Into your embrace.
Through Christ, Our Lord.
Amen.