Sr. Constance Veit, L.S.P., on Cultivating a 'Spirituality of Encounter' During Advent

"In September Pope Francis celebrated 'the blessing of long life' with thousands of senior citizens and their families. In his homily that day he spoke about the Visitation of the Virgin Mary to her cousin Elizabeth, calling it 'a Gospel of encounter.' The pope encouraged those present -- and through them, all of us -- to follow Mary's example and re-establish a covenant between the young and the old. The future of society supposes the meeting between generations, he said, as the young 'give the strength which enables a people to move forward, while the elderly consolidate this strength by their memory and their traditional wisdom.'

"'Encounter' is a particularly rich concept, especially during this Advent/Christmas season. Isn't 'encounter' really what the Incarnation is all about? God encountered his creatures in the most direct way possible by becoming one of them in the person of his Son, Jesus Christ -- God-with-us.

"Instead of rushing through December in a frenetic preparation for all that Christmas has come to entail in our materialistic society, what if we used this season of Advent to follow Our Lord's example and concentrate our efforts on nurturing a spirituality of encounter in our daily lives?"

In a recent commentary, Sister Constance Veit, L.S.P., reflected on how, during Advent, we may to encounter God each day in his Word and by departing from ourselves and reaching out to others in their need.

To access Sr. Constance's complete essay, please visit:

The Boston Pilot: Echoes: Cultivating a 'spirituality of encounter' this Advent. (11/25/2014)