Fr Issa Thaljieh

30 November – First Sunday of Advent

Our first Wave of Hope reflection for Advent comes from Fr Issa Thaljieh, a Greek Orthodox priest from the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem. How appropriate that we start our series of reflections here – the place of our Lord and Saviour’s birth.

Fr Thaljieh explains that it has been a very hard year in Bethlehem, the city where hope Himself was born – a year marked by pain, uncertainty, and questions. Yet, in the midst of this, God continues to plant small seeds of hope.

“One moment this year that filled me with hope happened right here in the Church of the Nativity. I watched an elderly woman, who had lost so much, enter the Grotto of the Nativity with trembling hands. She placed a simple candle before the star of the birth and whispered, ‘Lord, I have no one left. You are my only hope.’ And then she smiled a peaceful, trusting smile.”

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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