Second Sunday of Advent
John the Baptist appears as the herald in todays Gospel calling us to prepare a way for the Lord to make a straight highway for our God. Creating a straight highway in our spiritual lives is an impossible achievement but it is possible for us to clear a few of the weeds from the overgrown path of our spiritual lives which will be enough to allow the Lord to come, he will do the rest – but it still desires effort and a change of heart for this to happen.
In place of the normal Choral Evening Prayer this Sunday afternoon there will be a performance of Bachs Cantata ‘Wachet Auf no 140’ (Sleepers Wake) written for this part of the Advent season as well and music from the first section of Handels Messiah.
The schools Advent Services take place on Wednesday morning and afternoon with a wide ranging cast spanning the age range from the young to the venerable. The Cathedral staff, clergy and choirs are all jointly involved in these services trying to bring to life once again the Christmas story for young children from our diocesan schools – secretly we enjoy doing it more than the children! This last week there have been a couple of trips to the Everyman costume department for a few more lavish outfits, the Merseyside Dance Initiative have been rehearsing their dance for the appearance of the star and if all goes to plan we will have a live donkey this year from the donkey sanctuary.
This week I have meetings regarding planning for Lent and Pentecost 2026 and we are even having conversations about plans for 2027 which will be our Cathedrals 60th Anniversary. So it is good that we have the childrens Advent services and the Celebration of Christmas Concert on the Saturday to make sure that the focus is firmly on the celebrations of this present season. The last of the Christmas trees have been put in place around the Cathedral buildings and at the start of next week the staff will finish putting the cribs in place in the Cathedral and Crypt. What may sound like small tasks within the home take on a different scale and have a different degree of complexity within a building such as ours. So they have to be carefully planned over a series of weeks. But the same satisfaction comes when each task is completed and the Cathedral slowly puts on the mantel of Christmas during these weeks. Thanks to the staff who make it all come to life.
Pope Francis some years ago spoke of the wonderful sign and tradition of having a Christmas Crib in the home and in public places. ‘Dear brothers and sisters, the Christmas Crib is part of the precious and demanding process of passing on the faith. Beginning in childhood, and at every stage of our lives it teaches us to contemplate Jesus, to experience God’s love for us to feel and believe that God is with us and we are with Him thanks to the child who is the Son of God and son of the Virgin Mary.’
Monsignor Anthony O’Brien
Cathedral Dean
