Advent Hope and World Aids Day

The Christian season of Advent commences today with its theme of expectant waiting for the Christ and in many congregations the Candle of Hope will be lit on the Advent Wreath. This is also World Aids Day and this morning I recall those who in the early years of this blight were without hope because there was little understanding of HIV/AIDS and the drugs which have given many years of meaningful life. 

I am also mindful today of the million living with HIV/AIDS in Africa and other parts of the world who still do not have access to effective medical care, who will die young, often leaving behind children who are orphaned. 

Below is what I think is my first blog reflection on World Aids Day from 13 years ago. . 

Friday, December 01, 2006

World AIDS Day

Today is World AIDS Day. When we lived in Northern Ontario I was asked to serve on the AIDS committee of Sudbury. It was 1989 and while the scientific community was starting to understand HIV and AIDS, I didn't. I was nervous about how this involvement would be perceived by my congregation. I wasn't convinced that this disease was not communicable. When I began visiting AIDS patients in hospital I would wash my hands repeatedly afterward, knowing that I was going home to my wife and three young children. I learned. 

My heart changed. This came about mostly because of my contact with those living with HIV/AIDS, both those who had contracted it and those who provided care. I came to appreciate that God was present in the living and the dying of this group of people. There were many sad moments and holy moments. These too were God's children. How could I have ever thought otherwise?

While HIV/AIDS has become manageable for most in North America, it is a devastating scourge in Africa. I just heard that former US president Bill Clinton has negotiated with the drug companies that produce anti-viral medication to provide low-cost drugs for children in African nations. It's about time.

This first Sunday of Advent is the Sunday of hope. We can pray for a more hopeful future for those who live with AIDS.