If we know that “the thief” would come to us at the end of these Advent days, how would we spend the coming season? What old friends would we connect with? What old grudges would we let go of? Who would we make peace with? What changes would we make in our personal lives? How would we spend our time? Above all, how would we pray? Advent is a good time to think about these issues.
Archbishop’s 2010 Advent Message
God always has time for us, make time for Him
My dear brothers and sisters in Christ:
Today, we set out on a new liturgical season and a new liturgical year. Advent is about darkness and light. It is about living in hope in the expectation of Christ’s coming.
As we prepare for the new liturgical season of Advent, we should take the time to seek healing and reconciliation in our lives. This season invites us to reflect on the dimension of time. We often say, “I don’t have time” because our daily lives have become too distracted and busy. The Church has “good news” to announce about this: God gives us his time. We always have little time. Especially with regards to the Lord, we do not know how to find him, or, sometimes, we do not want to find him. And yet God has time for us!
This is the first thing that the beginning of a liturgical year makes us rediscover. Yes: God gives us His time, because He has entered into history, with His Word and His works of salvation, to open it to eternity, to make it into a covenant history. From this perspective, time is already, in itself, a basic sign of God’s love. It is a gift that we need to learn to appreciate its meaning.
This meaning can be appreciated by how we explore a proper detachment from worldly goods, a sincere repentance for one’s errors and sins, an active charity toward our brothers, sisters, and neighbors, and above all a humble and confident placing of oneself into God’s hands, our tender and merciful Father.
Also the liturgical season of Advent celebrates God’s coming in its two moments: First it invites us to awaken the expectation of our Lord Jesus Christ’s glorious return; then, nearing Christmas, it calls us to welcome the Word made man for our salvation. The Lord comes constantly and is evermore present in our lives.
How opportune, then, is Jesus’ call, which is more powerfully invoked this first Sunday of Advent: Be Awake and Be Prepared. If we know that “the thief” would come to us at the end of these Advent days, how would we spend the coming season? What old friends would we connect with? What old grudges would we let go of? Who would we make peace with? What changes would we make in our personal lives? How would we spend our time? Above all, how would we pray? Advent is a good time to think about these issues.
Through the intercession of Santa Marian Kamalen, Blessed Diego Luis de San Vitores, and Pedro Calungsod, I pray that as we prepare for this new Advent season and Christmas, we continue to seek reconciliation and peace in our lives for the Lord Jesus who comes.
May the Peace and the Joy of Christ fill your lives. Si Yu’os Ma’ase’!
Servus tuus,
Most Rev. Anthony Sablan Apuron, OFM Cap., D.D.
Metropolitan Archbishop of Agana