During January I had the luxury of a peaceful retreat and three weeks of reading, swimming, walking (not running any more), good company and time to reflect on life and Church and world.

International travel unearths unending fascinating experiences. On a recent trip to Kuala Lumpur I visited the Islamic Arts Museum, Malaysia, to find that the special exhibit was Australia’s Muslim Cameleers – Pioneers of the Inland, 1860s – 1930s. Originally mounted by the South Australian Museum, this exhibition was on loan.

We will be reading this 2011 Summer Swag during Advent – a ‘Season’ in the language of the Church that is perhaps undervalued. I want to share a few thoughts about waiting, listening, pausing and being open – all of which are central to Advent.

The major exhibition at the Guggenheim Museum, New York last summer was by a Korean artist, Lee Ufan. The exhibition was called “Marking Infinity”. His paintings and sculptures invite the viewer to explore an encounter with “what is” in the world. His life work has developed around carefully placed objects and markings on a canvas to involve the viewer in a relationship between the viewer and the world.