"Whenever the Church dons solemn purple vestments, it always means that serious questions are being set forth and we are facing the great connections, the principles of universal validity."

“…..Our holy seasons always ought to be something special. They are really holy mysteries, and they should awaken a mystery as echo, as consideration, as prayer, in our minds and in our hearts.The theme of this Advent is that, somehow, man will be confronted with the Last Things, will be placed in the final order, will face the definitive questions, and definitive answers will be expected of him. Whenever the Church dons solemn purple vestments, it always means that serious questions are being set forth and we are facing the great connections, the principles of universal validity. Indeed, after all, the ultimate and deepest meaning of this coming feast, this Christmas and Coming-of-the-Lord for which we are preparing ourselves, is that the created being, man, actually finds himself in the presence of the Absolute Ultimate. Moreover, the basic readying of our souls for this feast of the coming lord is that we now consider the ultimate reality. This means that we think about man, about ourselves, from the perspective of the ultimate reality and, in so doing, become ready – really ready – to encounter and respond to Him, the Ultimate, in an appropriate way, as befits a creature encountering the Ultimate. It means really being ready to meet him in this way. Therefore, that should be our theme for these Advent reflections: man from the perspective of the ultimate reality; what ultimately is, and what ultimately will be. The ultimate reality cannot be affected in any way by ant whirlwind, any turmoil, any arrogance or hubris. It cannot be shaken in its own validity, and, when it is tampered with, those raising a hand or a fist against it only affect themselves…..”

Fr Alfred Delp S.J.  - from the collection of his writings: ‘Advent of the Heart’ translated by Abtei St Walburg.