Dear Friends,

As we enter the season of Advent, the four weeks of joyful preparation leading up to Christmas, I am sure that you, like all of us at CLINIC, feel the weight of the many tragic events happening in our world. What with the new outbreak of violence in the Middle East, the continued war in Ukraine, natural and climate-related disasters forcing people to flee — there are many ways in which it feels like the world is shrouded in darkness.

In Advent, however, we are invited to take up the powerful practice of looking for the seeds of light sown around us: small but powerful instances of compassion, the victory of love over hatred, light in darkness, life amid death.

Download the 2023 Advent Guide.

Christians believe that the birth of the Christ child — an obscure moment in time — changed all of history. That is why during the season of Advent we practice turning inward, quieting our souls, and training our gaze to look for the small but mighty ways our world is being transformed in our midst by God’s work and our acts of love, peace, and justice. It is the most hopeful exercise we can undertake, and it always bears fruit in terms of helping us grow in our ability to reflect courageous compassion for those in need, particularly our immigrant brothers and sisters.

This year, we have invited the CLINIC team to reflect on their work in light of the Advent themes of hope, love, peace, and joy. Many Christian communities focus on one of those themes during each of the four weeks of Advent, starting with hope and ending with love the final week before Christmas. Four of our team members agreed to consider how their work “upholding the dignity and protecting the rights” of immigrants reflects one of these themes. I find their reflections powerful, and I hope you will too. I hope it will prompt you to reflect on these themes: where have you had true experiences of hope, peace, joy, and love, even despite the many challenges facing our world?

Download the guide here.

Thank you for your support of CLINIC.

Anna Gallagher

Executive Director