Entering a New Church Year

By Bishop Paul S. Loverde
Special to the Herald
(From the issue of 12/9/04)

This homily was given by Arlington Bishop Paul S. Loverde at the Mass celebrating the Second Sunday of Advent on Sunday, Dec. 5, 2004, at St. Thomas à Becket in Reston.

Powerful images are often projected before us in the Scriptures. This is clearly evident in today’s first reading from the Book of the Prophet Isaiah: a seemingly dead tree stump spouting forth a new shoot. "On that day, a shoot shall sprout from the stump of

Jesse … " Many of us have seen such an image as we hiked forest trails in our scouting days or as we went on camping trips.

That image of a seemingly dead stump sprouting a new shoot is the image of hope! How appropriate this image is in these opening weeks of this new Church year! How appropriate it is today as we begin the second week of Advent, itself a season of expectation and promise.

In fact, how "on target" is this image of hope because each one of us desires and, even more, needs to experience hope. When all is said and done, each one of us truly longs to have another chance to respond better to our calling as Christ’s disciples. On the outside, we can project the impression that all is well, but how often on the inside, we are silently crying out: "If only, dear Lord, I could have another opportunity, a second chance, to be better!"

A new Church year with its opening season of Advent is precisely God’s answer to our prayer. God hears our plea and offers us new hope. The hope He offers is not polly-annish or unreal, because it is rooted in God’s own word in the Scriptures. St. Paul tells us that this is so in today’s second reading from his Letter to the Romans: "Whatever was written previously was written for our instruction, that by endurance and by the encouragement of the Scriptures, we might have hope." Today’s Gospel account, from St. Matthew, depicts John the Baptist preaching a message of conversion:

"‘Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.’" In his call to repentance, there is the call to hope because conversion, a turning back to the Lord, is indeed possible!

Now, if we are honest, we do admit that each one of us needs to change, to reform, to be converted, to turn back to the Lord. Each one of us needs to allow Christ to enter our lives more deeply and more completely. The more Christ takes over in our lives, the more He becomes visible and present through us to others.

Each one of us has some area within our life wherein change is needed, reform is demanded, conversion is necessary. We acknowledge that we cannot remove these stumbling blocks by ourselves. That is why we prayed a short time ago: "Remove the things that hinder us from receiving Christ with joy … " (Opening Prayer). However, the Lord needs our free consent in order to convert us, so even as we reach out to Him for His transforming grace, we must simultaneously identify the areas in need of conversion and truly will to be changed and to change. So, then, each one of us needs to look within in order to identify the area or areas in need of reform and ask the Lord to help us "to turn back" to Him.

Permit me to suggest several areas for conversion. One involves our understanding of God’s role in our lives. Years ago, many people viewed God’s role as one of Judge alone, so that they were truly fearful or afraid of God, Who seemed to them to be a "punishing" or "avenging" God. In reaction to that extreme, in our time now, many people view God’s role as "one among equals," so that they treat Him with crass familiarity. Yes, although God comes so very close to us in the Incarnation of His Only Son Jesus Christ, God remains God: the One we adore, the One we desire to serve with all our being, the One upon Whom we are radically dependent and always will be, because salvation, living forever with God, is His Free Gift!

"Fear of the Lord," mentioned twice in today’s first reading, is one of the seven gifts of the Holy Spirit, gifts given to us at our Confirmation. "Fear of the Lord" is not slavish fear or terror, but respect and reverence for God. "Fear of the Lord" leads us to acknowledging that we are truly dependent on Him. This new Church year, we can become converted in our understanding of God’s role in our lives, experiencing a change of attitude, so that we can truly live, and not merely say, what Mother Catherine McAuley prayed so beautifully: "My God, I am yours for time and eternity. Teach me to cast myself entirely into the arms of your loving providence, with the utmost lively, unlimited confidence in your compassionate, tender pity … : (cf. Suscipe of Catherine McAuley). With this changed understanding, we can experience new hope, so that what seemed dead can now have new growth.

A second area for conversion involves our understanding and attitude towards those in need. Among us and beyond us, there are people who experience true poverty, yes, in terms of material goods, but also, in terms of spiritual goods. Many among us already understand these needs at some level, but our understanding can be deepened and widened. We are called to use the gifts and talents which God has given us for the welfare of others. Through prayer and our active participation in the works of evangelization and catechesis, we respond in new ways to the spiritual needs of others. Through our generous donations and by our active involvement in works of charity, we respond in new ways to the material needs of others.

In pointing out a number of ways whereby we can more authentically observe the Year of the Eucharist, our Holy Father links our celebration of the Eucharist in the liturgy and our adoration of Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament with service to the poor and needy in society. He writes to us: "There is one other point which I would like to emphasize since it significantly affects the authenticity of our communal sharing in the Eucharist. It is the impulse which the Eucharist gives to the community for a practical commitment to building a more just and fraternal society …. Can we not make this Year of the Eucharist an occasion for diocesan and parish communities to commit themselves in a particular way to responding with fraternal solicitude to one of the many forms of the poverty present in our world?" (cf. Mane Nobiscum Domine, No. 28).

Yes, early in this Church year, we can experience a deepened understanding of how we are to respond to the needs of those around us, thereby experiencing a true conversion. Next weekend, we shall have a concrete opportunity to do so by giving generously to our diocesan Catholic Charities. With a deepened understanding of how Eucharistic devotion is linked to alleviating the needs of others, both spiritually and materially, we can experience new hope, so that what seemed dead can now have new growth.

Permit me to say that you have shown so clearly your understanding of this intrinsic link by your generous and even sacrificial support for our diocesan capital campaign "Rooted in Faith — Forward in Hope" and for our annual Bishop’s Lenten Appeal. Even as I thank you with all my heart, I realize that we can yet be even more converted in our desire to reach out, beginning with myself.

I shared some possible areas for our deepened conversion. Obviously, in the life of any one among us, there could be others. However, whatever the area in which reform is needed, it is not too late, because our God offers us new hope as He points to a powerful image: a seemingly dead tree stump sprouting forth a new shoot. Let us not miss this new opportunity which God is giving us. So, we cry out: "Come, Lord Jesus, come and deliver us! Set us free from whatever hinders Your coming to us more deeply! If we let Him, He will come, and what seemed dead will sprout forth with enduring newness!"

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