Bishop urges the faithful to observe Advent as a season of joyful preparation for Christ
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“Let us recommit ourselves to witnessing the beauty, joy and hope of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.”
Not just between now and Christmas, but always and in every instance, Bishop W. Shawn McKnight exhorted.
“Hope is an infectious virtue, and it’s hard to be a downer when you’re surrounded by people full of faith, hope and charity,” he said in his homily for the First Sunday of Advent.
He did so in the context of installing Father Stephen Jones as the new pastor of Cathedral of St. Joseph Parish in Jefferson City.
Bishop McKnight pointed out that Advent, the season of preparation for Christmas, should be a time of joyful expectation, “with royal purple signifying the coming of the King who is to come.”
That is, Christ who became flesh and will return in glory on the Last Day.
Advent is, “in effect, the liturgical season of the present age of the Church — from the time of our Lord’s Ascension into heaven until his coming again,” the bishop said.
As such, it is also a season of patient waiting and preparing, as no one but the Father knows when Jesus will return.
“And, as St. Paul reminds us, God provides us with every spiritual gift we need as we ‘await the revelation of the Lord,’” the bishop noted.
Faithful disciples embrace the spiritual poverty of not being in control of when or how the Second Coming will occur.
In place of that control comes well-founded and well-placed hope.
Toward that end, “a season of waiting exercises our trust in God and expands our hope,” said Bishop McKnight. “Hope is the reason for the Season of Advent!”
He cited as an example the hope he experienced at the National Catholic Youth Conference (NCYC) last month in Indianapolis, which more than 300 people from this diocese attended.
He said anyone who feels depressed, discouraged or disillusioned over the state of the world should spend time with some of the faith-filled young people of the diocese.
“It is good for the soul!” he said.
He described the NCYC as “nothing short of a religious revival.”
“My celebration of Mass and dinner afterward with the youth of our diocese was like being bathed in the energy and vibrant hope of our young people,” he said.
Shortly before installing Fr. Jones, Bishop McKnight advised him that while preaching the more difficult and challenging teachings of the Word of God, he should “always remember to include the hope and promise of grace to live the Gospel.”
Pope Francis often criticizes the mindset of people who act like “God’s moral police,” devoid of charity or joy.
“The Holy Father is not inviting us to consider changing our doctrines to be more acceptable to the world around us,” the bishop pointed out, “but rather, to consider the ways in which we witness the truth and beauty of the Church’s definitive teachings more credibly, more authentically.”
Noting that Catholics are called to help bring others to the Eucharistic table, Bishop McKnight invited Fr. Jones and everyone present to consider how the Church in this area can do better at witnessing to the beauty and goodness of the faith.
“The answer must include charity and hope,” said Bishop McKnight. “Sacrificial love is what catches everyone’s attention.”
It also requires a spirit of joyful expectation of the good things the Lord has in store, he said.
In addition, it calls for a commitment to proper stewardship of all of God’s gifts; mutual respect and proper cooperation among clergy and laity; and the goal of making all parishes recognizable centers of charity and sanctuaries of mercy.
“That,” said Bishop McKnight, “is exactly what our Cathedral Parish is called to be in this time, in this place.”
