Bishop Terry’s Pastoral Letter for Advent 2008

Dear Sisters and Brothers in Christ,

You might be forgiven for thinking that Christmas has already come and almost gone even before we finished celebrating Christ the King and moved into Advent! Given the present economic and cultural climate I am really thanking God for the blessing of Advent and all it brings – the richness of God’s Word and Promises, which will never go into recession; the teachings of the Church, which increase in value as the days and years pass; the wealth of the liturgy, which, if we invest in it, will give use plenty to live off for far more than the foreseeable future. Certainly here is something on which we can bank knowing that our interest will only grow as time goes on!

Yes, the world might be in a mess, but not for the first time. Of that we can be sure. However, it is into such a world that Christ entered by taking on our humanity and all that it entails, save sin. Some of us have a tendency to sanitise the Incarnation, to make it all bright and shiny and clean. We would like to cover it all in tinsel and surround it with Christmas lights. The reality is perhaps a little different. Maybe there were bright lights at the annunciation, I don’t know, but the consequences of Mary’s “yes” to the Father’s invitation to become the mother of the Word made flesh were far reaching for her and for us. For her, it could have resulted in becoming an outcast and even death by stoning – you will recall Joseph’s confusion when he heard the news, wondering what to do, whether to send her away or not.

For us it meant and still means the opening up anew of the way of salvation when God in Christ comes to us, lives in us, and makes us children of the Father and heirs of the kingdom. Sons and daughters and heirs and our heritage will not wear away, nor decay, neither can it be taken by any thief or accident of circumstance. Here lies our real treasure and security, our genuine hope and confidence. We know this is true now, despite the ups and downs of daily living, but we also look for the fullness of these promises when Christ will come again in glory at the end of time.

As I said, it is not really a good thing to sanitise the Incarnation: God in Christ enters into the mess and incompletion of our world and our personal lives too. Left to ourselves all we can do is wallow in the mess and lament all that is lacking, powerless to change either. In Christ a new light has dawned upon the world, in him the divine and the human are united never again to be divided. One of the Christmas prefaces puts it well; so marvellous is this oneness between God and humanity that in Christ a human being restores to all the gift of everlasting life. (Preface of Christmas 3 paraphrased) As a result of the incarnation of our lowly, weak, human nature is renewed and becomes a vehicle for the divine – your eternal word has taken upon himself our human weakness, giving our mortal nature immortal value. (As above)

While Advent is certainly about recalling Christ’s first coming at Christmas, it is also about his coming into my life, and your life and our accepting his promise and gift of salvation and all the graces and blessings that these bring in the here-and-now. However, we must also look to the day when that promise and gift of salvation will come to completion and fullness at the end of time when Christ will come again in glory.

Certainly, our eyes have to be focused on the tasks in hand, we must toil and labour to build the world in which we live. However, we know there is more, this is not the sum total of God’s promises. As good as it is there is more and better. It is important for us to lift up our eyes and see the bigger picture, the broader horizon, God’s plan, his dream for us and the whole humanity. Christ has come to lift all things up to himself, to restore unity to creation and to lead humankind from exile into God’s heavenly kingdom. (Preface of Christmas 2)

We look forward with joy to the coming of Christ at Christmas. We welcome Christ into our lives each day especially in the Eucharist and prayer. We long for Christ to return in glory at the end of time when he will complete all that is lacking in our lives individually and as humanity. Here’s a currency we can count on. Shares in these truths will never decline in value. Invest in this creditable venture and you will never lose out.

A joyful, prayerful, hopeful Advent to you all and, when it comes, a peaceful, fruitful, fulfilling, and above all, a real and genuine celebration of Christmas to each and every one.

+Terence Patrick