To understand Advent, we must reflect on Lent. Lent is the vigil that culminates in Easter. We would do well to treat Advent as a period of grief that culminates in Christmas.

Research shows “two in five Americans sometimes or always feel that their relationships are not meaningful and that they are isolated from others.” Companionship is a response to this social isolation and loneliness. A Companion is a person who shows kindness to those that they encounter; they are a neighbor to someone in distress.

As the protests continue all over Hong Kong, and actions are intensified each day, people begin to wonder what the solution would be to maintain “one country, two systems.” The Hong Kong protests are only one of many protests happening around the world. What should be our voice as a community of believers at this moment in history?