We celebrate the season of Advent with hope and the season of Christmas with joy. In Advent, we renew our hope in the Second Coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. We remember how Mary and Joseph prepared for and anticipated his coming at Christmas. We also remember that Jesus promised to come again. In Advent, we look at what is behind us and before us. We reflect on what Jesus’ coming accomplished and draw our strength from it to prepare for his final coming.
While Christmas rightly brings us joy as we celebrate Jesus’ birth and enjoy time with friends and family, we also recognize that the season of Christmas is not Heaven. Mary, Joseph and the faithful Jews of their time longed for the awaited savior. They awaited the one whom God promised would come to bring peace, justice and the Kingdom of God. Surely, they would not be waiting so intently if everything were going well for them.
They were oppressed by the Roman Empire, paid heavy taxes to their overlords, and had their liberties at Roman discretion. Rather than living like God’s chosen people, they lived under the authority of human beings.
In our time, we also look around and recognize that this is not Heaven. We are blessed to live in a country that values and protects our freedom of religion, but we all find ways to enslave ourselves to sin and worldliness. A stark reminder of this for me was the recent passage of Amendment 79, which enshrined a so-called “right to abortion” into the Colorado Constitution. I remain sad and disappointed in this result and will continue to advocate for the unborn and the mothers who become pregnant and have lost hope. I also recognize that for the Kingdom of Heaven to be built further here, the only path forward is the conversion of more hearts to the Lord Jesus.
In the face of this and all other tragedies, we are invited to renew our hope and inspire others to hope in Jesus Christ throughout Advent and Christmas. God the Father has only one answer to the fall of Adam and Eve: Jesus Christ. In our broken and divided world, only one answer to our pain remains: Jesus Christ.
I invite you to take a few minutes in silence this season and ask yourself, “What am I longing for?” “What really distresses me?” Ask the Lord to reveal this to you. When the answer becomes clear, ask the Lord, “How can I find relief from what distresses me and find fulfillment for my longing in Christ?” Knowing the answer will provide you with direction and move your heart toward hope.
On Christmas Eve this year, the Church will begin a Jubilee Year of Hope. Jubilee years are times of incredible grace to reconcile our lives to God and start fresh, no matter our circumstances. As you follow Jesus, I encourage you to lift a prayer to God during the Jubilee Year and ask him to show you his great love and to fill you with hope so that, abiding in relationship with the Holy Trinity, your hope in Jesus will grow, your trust will increase, and you will be able to surrender your life to his plan. I also invite you to pray in reparation for your sins, the sins of the Church and the sins of all those living in the Archdiocese of Denver.
Let us prepare for Christmas and the Jubilee Year of Hope by repenting and renewing our hope in Jesus. He is the only one capable of fulfilling our desires, and he longs for you to reach out to him. May God bless you and your families abundantly in this season. The Christ child is coming; may we receive him with open hearts and open arms.
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