Dear Friends,

As I write this letter, I can't help but glance out my window at the subtle fall light bathing our Hilltop. The trees and shrubs all seem to be quietly preparing for winter. The young weeping willow just outside my window is now a mostly golden color with some patches of green still holding on. The beauty of this season and this place helps me remember that God is the source of all life and that earthly beauty is meant to attract us to Him. It is a gift for us to see and learn from.

We are about to celebrate one of the most beautiful and touchingly human mysteries - the Incarnation of Christ in Bethlehem. When Mary said yes to the Holy Spirit's invitation, Divine Beauty itself became a human being, a tiny baby dependent on his mother and foster father, Mary and Joseph. God did not want to miss a moment of human life; he experienced everything from conception to death. And he made it holy.

Advent and Christmas remind us how much the human soul longs for completion. We all experience the benefits of the world as well as its limitations. No matter how wonderful, there can never be enough security, enough material blessing, enough friendship and family love; there can never be enough freedom and hope for the future. An honest reflection on our own life tells us that we still want something, still miss something. Our unanswered questions all point to the Divine, to God who alone can satisfy the longing of our heart. With St. Augustine we say, "My heart is restless until it rests in Thee."

At this difficult time in our world and our Church, we celebrate the coming of God as a human baby to remind ourselves of the great hope that is ours. With Jesus and His Church we are not alone; we are not lost. The words of Jesus in the Gospel invite us to a true and deep faith, a faith that overcomes obstacles and difficulties, grief and sadness, fear and isolation. Jesus walks with us and shines His light on the path as we journey to the Father, a journey that always includes a stop or two in Jerusalem.

At Mount Angel Abbey and Seminary, it is this faith in the Lord's presence among us that gives us the courage to walk into the future with hope. There is no darkness so dark that the light of Christ cannot pierce it; there is no storm so strong that we can not persevere through it. This is the hope to which we are called.

May the Lord who watches over us all bless and sustain you with His grace during this Advent and Christmas season. Please remember that you are in our prayers. And may the Lord bring us all together unto every lasting life.

Sincerely yours in Christ

                                          Abbot Nathan