As Advent draws to a close, hope arises in anticipation of our Savior’s birth. However, as my pastor reached the ambo to begin his homily, his demeanor was hardly celebratory. He addressed the congregation with sad eyes, saying that what he would speak about was not the homily he wanted to deliver. During the past week, a priest who had served as the parochial vicar at our church had died. This priest was well-known and loved by the congregation, as well as anyone else who knew him. He was young, only 38, which made the news of his passing so much more unexpected.
This priest had just been diagnosed with COVID-19, but had received medication and appeared to be in good spirits. The day of his death he sent out emails early in the morning, laying out his schedule and plans for the rest of the week. Later that day he was found dead and discovered to have taken his own life. Naturally, this caused an outpouring of grief among many.
When such an event occurs, we struggle to make peace with it. The Catholic faith is clear in its teaching that suicide is a mortal sin. When people commit suicide, we tend to question one of our central beliefs in the Lord. How could He let this happen? And how could this priest who chose a life of faith commit this act, knowing what the Church teaches?
The pastor quickly noted that even though we struggle with this news, we must remember that the Lord is the ultimate judge of everyone, and He is loving and merciful in His judgment.
The world today is unlike any other time in its history; what is happening now we never expected to experience. The world is falling into darkness, but it is only in great darkness that we can see great light.
While many people are already celebrating Christmas, the Catholic faith maintains that we are still in Advent, a time of waiting. Our pastor observed that we are not waiting for the first coming of Jesus; we now await His second coming. The Bible readings and scripture verses of Advent are intended for our focus on the promise of Jesus Christ coming to us again.
The truth is, it is easy to celebrate the coming of a little baby and rejoice in the beauty and wonder in His humble beginnings in a manger. But there is greater reason to rejoice in awaiting Jesus for a second time.
Through His death and resurrection He saved us. If we believe this with all our hearts, we can trust in His deep and abiding love for us. He loves the priest who took his life, and He will be merciful. We may not know what that means, but we are not meant to. All we need to understand is that Jesus Christ is our Savior and He has and will save us.
“Rejoice, rejoice, Emmanuel shall come to thee, O Israel.”
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Originally published at Kitty in the City.
Photo: Saint Fin Barre’s Cathedral, Cork, Ireland / Kelly Kiernan, Unsplash / PD-US
1 thought on “Rejoice!”
We can rejoice in confidence of our Lord’s mercy. He loves us, His creatures, so much, more than any human parents can love their children. He surrendered His own beloved Son to death on a cross to save us all from sin and lead us to heaven after our death. Many people may not look beyond the obvious meaning of Christmas (the coming to earth of Jesus in human form) to His second coming when we enter the kingdom of heaven. Remembering this at Advent, and all through the church year, should lift our spirits despite having to endure the troubles of this world.