From the Bishop’s Desk, By Bishop Donald J. Hying

As we enter into another Advent and a new liturgical year, the Church bids us to joyfully wait in expectant vigilance for the coming of Christ!

We stand between the first advent of the Lord when He was born in Bethlehem 2,000 years ago and His final advent at the end of the world, when Christ will come in power and glory to bring human history to an end and accomplish the Final Judgment.

The “in between times” of our lives can be difficult for us to navigate.

To be in between jobs, relationships, or homes can leave us feeling unsettled and anxious.

The assurance we felt from the stability of the past is gone and the uncertainty of an unknown future looms over our thoughts and feelings.  

In contrast to the things of this world, this “in between” time for us as Christians should not make us anxious or afraid, because the Lord is with us in this present moment.  

Through the gift of the Church as the Body of Christ, the power of the sacraments, the Truth of the Word in the Scriptures, and the abiding grace of the Lord in our hearts, Jesus is very close to us right here and right now.

In her spiritual vigilance, the Church looks in all directions at once — to the past wonder of the Incarnation of the Son of God, to His future and final coming, but also to the graced present moment.

He is truly present

When we read the Gospels, we learn what Jesus did and said long ago, but how is He accomplishing the same wonders in our lives now?

What message do we receive from His Heart when we pray?

How is the Lord healing, forgiving, and resurrecting what in us is sinful, broken, and dead?

In the Eucharist, we are spiritually seated at the Last Supper, standing at the foot of the Cross, and peering into the empty tomb.

In Confession, the Lord is forgiving us, as He assuredly did the paralyzed man and the adulterous woman.

Even though we do not see Jesus in His corporeal body, He lives within us and around us in a more intimate way than when He walked the earth.  

Advent then is a graced time to sensitize our spiritual antennae, to slow down, to embrace silence and reflection, to ponder how the Lord is present and active in our lives.

Such vigilance will always bear fruit, for we will come to recognize and feel the deep presence of the Lord, we will hear His voice, and we will realize we are immersed in a divine grace beyond our comprehension.

We see this holy and expectant awareness in the Blessed Virgin Mary when she received Gabriel at the Annunciation; in Elizabeth when she was filled with the Holy Spirit in the Visitation; in the Magi who studied the heavens, looking for a divine sign of God’s presence; in the shepherds who adored the Christ Child in all simplicity and wonder; and in Simeon and Anna who waited decades for a glimpse of the Messiah.

This Advent season

I encourage everyone to frequently pray the Joyful Mysteries of the Rosary this Advent.

In them, we meet all the main characters in the drama of our salvation in Christ.

God used all of them to bring His mercy, forgiveness, and life to a lost and broken world.

When we watch and listen for the voice and action of the Lord, when we make ourselves available to do His holy will, God will use us as well to bring the joyful Good News of Jesus Christ to everyone around us.

In this season of instant Christmas and frenzied busyness, find quiet and peace within yourself.

Spend more time in prayer.

Read the Scriptures for Mass in the beautiful Advent days.

Go to Confession.

Spend time in adoration before the Blessed Sacrament.

Reach out to the poor and sick.

As we live this time in between the dawn of our salvation and its completion in Christ, do little things with great love, and then Jesus will be born anew in our hearts and we will know the joy of Christmas.

Have a blessed Advent!