It is that time of the year. The final push in classes as final exams, projects, and papers loom. Colder, darker, wintry days are upon us. And students, staff, and faculty across Georgetown eye the exits to the break as we enter into a holiday season at the end of a year that few will ever forget. Many are anticipating time away from campus duties and welcoming the opportunity to take some rest and reset from a challenging semester. Georgetown, anchored as it is in its mission and values, encourages all of us not to rush this precious time period but pay special attention to the themes of this spiritually significant season. As the Jewish community celebrates Hanukkah and Christians enter into Advent in anticipation of Christmas, now is a gifted opportunity to reflect on the gratitude we have experienced together as a learning community and the possibilities of hope at the end of 2021.
In his opening reflection for Georgetown’s 2021 Advent Devotional, Fr. Mark Bosco, S.J., Vice President for Mission and Ministry, sets the context for the challenges we have endured as a University community:
“We enter this liturgical season having struggled and survived through almost two years of the COVID pandemic – a time that has kept us sober about the fragility of life, yet aware of the hidden graces that God has revealed to us amidst this new reality. … Indeed, as we have found ourselves in close and sustained proximity with our family and only the closest of friends, we have been challenged to think more deeply about the preciousness of life, as well as the profoundly new ways in which we can support and sustain one another. … We anticipate coming out of our own COVID fog yearning for God to come and set the world right with perfect justice, truth, and peace. Welcome to this season of hope.”
This reason for hope – the possibility of a more peaceful and just world – gives life to this season and animates the religious traditions celebrating their special holidays. Mission in Motion reflected at the beginning of the fall semester about this theme of hope expressed during the opening year Mass of the Holy Spirit. The takeaway message from President DeGioia’s remarks, rooted in the writing of Fr. Otto Hentz, S.J., still resonates in this holiday season: We can be hope for one another. The next few weeks, filled as they might be with final projects and parties, can also be a time to grow in generous service with and for others.
At SCS, this commitment to others as a reason for hope has been actively on display in recent days. The SCS Programming Task Force has put together a series of community-building events intended to help us take a short break from the press of end-of-semester obligations. From a scavenger hunt to a trivia game and much in between, including decorating holiday cards for kids at Children’s National Hospital, the SCS community has been spending quality time with one another. These events pointed us to what is possible when we invite others into our lives and make space for new encounters and new friendships.
For me, in this season of anticipation and waiting, the greatest joy comes from savoring the gifts in my life – friends, family, and community. This gratitude can then give life to greater generosity and inclusiveness, wondering if I can be more hospitable in sharing these gifts. As we journey deeper into these December days, I hope you can find a little time to savor some gratitude and generate some generosity toward friends and strangers alike.