Merry Christmas! As you may be aware from past blog posts, a Catholic still wishing people a Merry Christmas on December 29th is not only allowed but necessary. Christmas is celebrated as an “Octave” or eight days. Both Christmas and Easter are given such recognition to heighten the importance of each feast for the Christian World – The Incarnation (Christ’s Birth) and the Resurrection (Easter).
In addition to the celebration of Christmas, Pope Francis has opened the Holy Year Doors for a year of Jubilee. Despite what some of the cyberspace clickbait might want you to think, (my favorite tabloid-ish piece being that Pope Francis has opened a space/time portal… really internet trolls, you need a new hobby,) a year of Jubilee is a common event that happens every 25 years. In Scripture, A Jubilee year was marked as a time of radical forgiveness, mercy, retiring of debts and a renewed commitment to love God and neighbor.
The centerpieces of the modern Jubilee are opportunities in all Diocese in the world for people to be forgiven of all their sins and punishments due those sins by visiting pilgrimage sites, receive the Sacrament of Reconciliation, receive the Eucharist and resolve to be detached from the inclination toward sin. That last item on the list to resolve to be detached is always the kicker…. Thank goodness God’s grace helps us in this area.
The theme of this year’s of Jubilee is “Hope.” In our Diocese, our new Bishop – Bishop Battersby – has asked me to join him and another priest to do a series of presentations at the pilgrimage sites in our Diocese on the theme of hope. This request has prompted me to ask parishioners, friends and people I talk with who are not people of faith a simple question – What does “hope” mean to you? Especially in the times we live.
What I am finding is that people have a hard time answering this question.
“Well Father, I hate to admit it, but when I think of ‘hope,’ my first response is ‘do I want to go down that road again?'”
That answer struck me with what I think a lot of people feel in these times – If we are to be a people of hope, we need to have a reason for hope and trust our hope can be realized… And our world presents us with many reasons not to hope and to doubt that what we hope for is possible.
Others have shared they still feel a hesitancy to trust the Catholic Church in light of things like the abuse scandal and corruption in the Church. Others have shared they do find hope in Jesus and the Church, but they also suffer from having few friends who embrace and live their faith anymore. Both of these thoughts point to the reality that there is a communal aspect to hope – We are not made to hope alone.
There are many other examples I could provide that would be a bit more pessimistic, but I always try to be the optimist, even in times of struggle. For example, one of my favorite Christmas readings as an astronomy buff priest is not, ironically, the Star of Bethlehem, the prophet Isaiah who gives clarity of who that star signifies.
The people who walked in darkness
have seen a great light;
upon those who dwelt in the land of gloom
a light has shone.
You have brought them abundant joy
and great rejoicing,
as they rejoice before you as at the harvest,
as people make merry when dividing spoils.
For the yoke that burdened them,
the pole on their shoulder,
and the rod of their taskmaster
you have smashed, as on the day of Midian.
For every boot that tramped in battle,
every cloak rolled in blood,
will be burned as fuel for flames.
For a child is born to us, a son is given us;
upon his shoulder dominion rests.
They name him Wonder-Counselor, God-Hero,
Father-Forever, Prince of Peace.
His dominion is vast
and forever peaceful,
from David’s throne, and over his kingdom,
which he confirms and sustains
by judgment and justice,
both now and forever.
The zeal of the LORD of hosts will do this! (Isaiah 9:1-6)
I think of this passage a lot when I’m out under the night sky. Its a passage that gives me hope on a clear starry night that, despite the darkness of our world, that God’s grace will pierce through like the stars in the sky. Therefore, astronomy for me is a discipline of hope.
I invite you to take this year of Jubilee and Pope Francis’ call for a time of hope, forgiveness and reconciliation to be combined with the virtue of fortitude to work toward realizing our hope in Christ. Think of it… A world that does not know the division, violence and bloodshed of our times. Instead, think of what a world of faith, hope and love would be. Now that I think about it, perhaps that piece I read about Pope Francis opening a space/time porthole isn’t so crazy after all. I think we all long for a world far different from the one we see before us. Of course, presuming Jesus is the one renewing the face of the Earth.
Where are you at with hope these days? Do you feel filled with hope or has hope been battered around in your heart? Know that this year can be a time of renewal. Know that this year can be a time of forgiveness and mercy. Know that this year does not need to be defined by the darkness we find that surrounds us. Rather, let us turn to him who is the light in our darkness and beg him to bring about an apocalypse of love in our world.
Share you thoughts on hope in the comments below.
