Here is the first editorial piece of our Advent Calendar, written by Leah. Her writing reminds us that part of our faith calls for action, even when it would be easier to walk away in dangerous times. It also urges us to create light in the midst of darkness, to set ourselves apart from others, and to offer an example. It encourages us to be brave, even when we ourselves are afraid.
- Nivea Palmer-McKenzie
On 2 December 1980, during the civil war in El Salvador, four women – Sr. Maura Clarke, Sr. Ita Ford, Sr. Dorothy Kazel, and Jean Donovan, lay missionary – were abducted and killed by government soldiers. They were accused of supporting the opposition and sheltering guerrillas simply because they had chosen to remain with the poor, the displaced, and the frightened. They spent their days bringing food and medicine to families who had lost everything and they continued to stand beside their communities even as the danger increased. Their decision to stay with the most vulnerable became a quite but enduring witness, a light that has never faded. Pope Francis described them as “They are an example for all of us to became faithful missionary disciples.” Advent is a season in which we wait for light during darkness. These four women became such a light during a time marked by violence and fear. Their choice to remain with the vulnerable was not merely and act of kindness or sacrifice, but a living sign of the mystery of Christmas itself, of God who draws near to human suffering. As we remember their choice to seek light during darkness, may the same hope and love that shaped their lives finds its way into our hearts like a soft glow.