Newsletter to the Marian Helpers, December 2025
DEAR MARIAN HELPERS & MEMBERS OF OUR MARIAN FAMILY!
Happy Advent and Merry Christmas!
Advent is my favourite liturgical season. I love the stillness, the preparation, the quiet; I love the expectation and anticipation. In her wisdom, the Church gives us this time to prepare for the festivities of Christmas, making sure that we remember that while wonderful gifts, delicious food and visits with family and friends are beautiful things, the real gift of Christmas is the gift of redemption and eternal life, given to us through the birth of Our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ.
Even if you find yourself caught in the hustle and bustle of the holiday season, we can at least be still in our hearts. Peace is not just an external thing but, more importantly, a state of mind or, rather, a state of soul. Even in the midst of the hustle and bustle of that first Christmas 2,000 years ago, we see that Mary was filled with peace: “But Mary treasured all these words and pondered them in her heart” (Lk 2:19).
The miracle of Christmas is something worth pondering: that the All-Powerful, All-Holy Eternal God loves us so much that He became one of us, dealing with all the chaos and difficultly that life throws our way, so that He could redeem us, save us, forgive us and prove His love for us. Even more, not only are we redeemed but we are raised up and allowed to participate in God’s very life living within us. Yes indeed! These are words to be treasured and pondered in our hearts!
In light of all this, Christmas is a time of reflection and thanksgiving. As we gather to celebrate the birth of Christ, we recognize all of the good things that God has given us: family, friends, food and, of course, our faith. We also recognize that not everyone is able to enjoy the good things that we have and so we do what we can to share with them, whether that be through visits, cards and phone calls, sending gifts or making donations or through the greatest gift of all: prayer.
Please send us your prayer intentions! (click here). We will place them at the foot of our altar in the Divine Mercy Apostolate’s Chapel here in West Ealing, London and will remember them in our daily Chaplets of Divine Mercy, as well as in our novena during the nine days before Christmas.
I encourage you to unite your prayers with ours and to pray for all your fellow members of the Divine Mercy Apostolate. We pray for you every day and are so grateful for your prayers and support. You truly are members of our Marian family! And please, spread the word about us, so that we can grow our family and expand our mission of spreading the message of God’s Mercy to the UK, the British Isles and the whole world.
As you go through these holy weeks of Advent, I encourage you to ponder on holy things as you go about your day. These could be words of Scripture or a quotation from a Saint. Maybe they could be a picture or an icon you like or a piece of music that helps you reflect and meditate on the things of God. Prayer doesn’t necessarily have to always include words but instead, as the Catechism of the Catholic Church says, is simply “the raising of one’s mind and heart to God” (CCC, 2559).
And, of course, ponder most especially on the events of that first Christmas when God put into action His great mission and plan of salvation for us and all. We adore with the shepherds, we glorify God with the angels and we ponder and pray with Mary.
