Hope and Life Advent Service - 13 December 2025

This was held at St. John the Evangelist Church Marol for the Leaders & Advisors Let me start with the snack on arrival - a very tasty egg puff. Delicious! Kind courtesy - Fr. Anthony, Parish Priest of St. John the Evangelist, Marol.

 It certainly was fortunate for us to get a dynamic speaker like Blanche Dias, an educator, a voice artist and a multi-talented lady with a passion for people. Her mantra 'Que Sera Sera' is worth emulating! Becoming a widow, of course, is a tragedy when your spouse passes away. However, even this intense grief will die with time, if you get back into the mainstream of life. IT IS OK TO BE NOT OK, SO NEVER GIVE UP! Introduce colour, music and other interests into your life. Look at Advent and its significance to our Hope & Life Association.

The first candle is PURPLE and denotes HOPE. Pray to Baby Jesus for strength to turn from a chrysalis into a butterfly.

 The second candle is GREEN, a symbol of PEACE. Little miracles that we make like calling a long-lost friend, concentrating on the good moments in life, good health, freeing yourself by living life in the now and not in the past. Children are a temporary phenomenon given to you to nurture for a short while, till they find their wings and fly away.

 The third candle is PINK which is JOY. This candle gives you permission to be joyful. Life is full of opposing interests. Circumvent these inconveniences and move forward. Remember, you can do it, if you really want! Discuss eventualities with children, family, friends and prepare for them.

The fourth candle is PURPLE, which represents LOVE. Reach out to others and you will get love in return. Lend your shoulder to cry on, give an ear to listen. Don't sit in sackcloth and ashes.

The last candle is WHITE… CHRIST'S CANDLE! Be a light to others. Cause we need each other. No man can live as an island, journeying through life alone. After these words of wisdom, came a practical interaction with the audience. She threw letters of the alphabet at us and we had to throw back those letters with qualities that a widow has and needs, to join the mainstream of life. Like A stands for Acceptance and Attentiveness, B stands for Belief in yourself… Find your life, your place in the world, with each letter of the alphabet and know that 'Life is for Living'.

‘Artaban The Fourth Magi’. A play scripted and narrated by Annette and enacted by Joyce and 15 other participants from St. John the Evangelist Church Marol. A gist of the play - In addition to the three wise men that we know about, a fourth wise man went on to Bethlehem, seeking the Baby Jesus the play was a mix of modern-day difficulties encountered on his travels and how Artaban helped people like a good Samaritan with the few jewels he had brought to present to the Little King. Ultimately, 33 years later, Artaban reaches a temple where he wished to go and celebrate the Passover. There he learns that a man is to be crucified, a man who lived his life teaching people the Word of God and realizes that this is the man he had been seeking since the past 33 years. Artaban dies and on his last day on earth, the voice of God tells him that the three precious gifts he had used to save and help others, was befitting in the eyes of God. We concluded the Advent session with mass celebrated by Fr. Vernon Aguilar and Fr. Savio Rodrigues.

As reported by Grace Tressler Member of The Hope & Life Association