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Mechernich – The Ordo Communionis in Christo provided a conscious counterpoint to the pre-Christmas hustle and bustle with an Advent meditation in the parish church of St. John the Baptist in Mechernich. Under the motto "Time of Waiting", Deacon Tilj Puthenveettil led those present into a quiet, spiritual reflection on Advent – as a time of hope, longing and attentive expectation. The meditation was accompanied musically by communal singing and the gentle sounds of the church organ, played by Stefan Weingartz.

Puthenveettil invited those present to understand waiting in a new way: not as an annoying delay or passive perseverance, but as an active, hopeful attitude of faith. Especially in a time when so much is supposed to be immediately available, Advent reminds us that God cannot be forced, but gives himself in the patient opening of the heart.

Words that encourage

He read a passage from the Book of Isaiah. The powerful images of the blossoming desert, of water in the dryness and of new life in the middle of the wasteland were interpreted as God's promise: "Behold, there is your God." Words that are meant to give courage – especially where people are experiencing personal times of desert, where uncertainty, fear or exhaustion characterise everyday life. Between the reflections, the congregation sang well-known Advent and church hymns such as "Christ, my confidence". The organ accompaniment lent the evening a dignified, solemn soundscape that deepened the meaning of what was said and emphasised the silence.

Another focus was on the genealogy of Jesus from the Gospel of Matthew. The often overlooked list of names was read as a testimony of faith: generations of people, with their fractures, guilt and detours, who nevertheless became part of the history of salvation. This conveyed the confidence that one's own life story – with all its imperfections – is also embedded in God's plan. Advent, according to the message, is not only a remembrance of a past event in Bethlehem, but an invitation to make room for Christ today.

During a longer period of silence, the participants were invited to consciously lay their worries, impatience and inner turmoil before God. The communal Lord's Prayer and the concluding blessing summed up the meditation: as a request for an vigilant heart, for trust and for the strength to walk the path of hope.

Finally, Tilj Puthenveettil drew attention to Mary as a symbol of Advent – a woman who accepted the wait and trusted in God's work, even when the path was difficult. The evening ended with a song sung together, which rounded off this welcome break from the hustle and bustle of the pre-Christmas period.

pp/Agentur ProfiPress