1st Sunday of Advent
27 November 2005
Praise be Jesus Christ! Now and forever!
Dear Friends in Christ,
Advent (from the Latin verb venire, to come) has a two-fold character: a season of penance in which we ponder Christ’s glorious coming as our judge at the great and terrible Day of the Lord and a season of joyful expectation as we prepare to celebrate at Christmas Christ’s coming among us as the Son of Mary. But between Christ’s first coming as the Babe of Bethlehem and his final coming as the King of All Creation, He comes to us in Word and Sacrament to strengthen us in holiness. It is this middle coming of Christ in Word and Sacrament that fills us with the grace of His first coming and prepares us to face without fear His final coming, and all who confess Christ as Lord must draw near to Him in Word and Sacrament to receive the abundant blessings of His love.
As we begin the new Year of Grace today, I urge every member of this parish family to resolve now to spend time every day with the Word of God revealed in the Holy Bible. As the Second Vatican Council teaches, "all the Christian faithful" should "learn ’the surpassing knowledge of Jesus Christ’ (Phil 3:8) by frequent reading of the divine Scriptures. ’Ignorance of the Scriptures is ignorance of Christ.’" (DV,25). To become a mature disciple of Jesus Christ demands direct personal knowledge of the Bible from diligent study and devout prayer, and there is no substitute for this encounter with the Word of God. Simply going to Mass and listening to the homily is not sufficient; each and every man, woman, and child baptized into the death and Resurrection of Jesus Christ is called to know, love, and obey the revealed Word of God in Sacred Scripture.
To assist us all in learning to savor the inspired Word of God in Holy Scripture, we have a Bible in every book rack in each pew of the church. Please use these Bibles with reverence to open the Sacred Page and be nourished. Also cultivate the habit of reading your own Bible at home. Find a time each day (perhaps the early morning or the evening after supper) to sit quietly, without distractions, and open your mind and heart to the living and active Word of God. Start with one of the four Gospels or a letter of St. Paul, and read for a few minutes each day. Perhaps prepare for the next Sunday Mass by reading prayerfully the Scripture lessons appointed for that day. And be faithful to this practice every day. Can you imagine a day without food? Or sleep? Or a bath? Don’t pass another day without the life-giving Word of God.
Father Newman