Faithful Citizenship: Advent is a time to pray, work for peace
Catholic Spirit, December 2007, Good News
By Mary Berwick
Guest Columnist
One of the many gifts the Second Vatican Council gave to the ordinary Catholic in the pew like me was the heightened awareness of the riches of the different seasons of the liturgical year. Of all the seasons, Advent gets short shrift. In the world of commerce, the focus is on the “getting and spending” of the Christmas season; we are encouraged by a barrage of advertising to begin shopping at Thanksgiving or even earlier.
Yet Advent is our church’s new year; it is a time of new beginnings and fresh hope. The readings during this season are filled with a call to return to the heart of God’s concern: justice, peace and mercy. Scripture reminds us of the deepest longings of the human heart –– light in the midst of darkness, hope in a world of violence, love, reconciliation and peace for all in the human family. While we shop, wrap, mail, cook and bake we can let the images of this season bring us beyond what advertisers’ promise –– to what God promises.
One of my favorite carols as a child was “O Little Town of Bethlehem.” Only now do I appreciate some of the lyrics, especially “The hopes and fears of all the years are met in you tonight!”
“All the years” refers to our years, too. How many hopes and fears do we have for our confused and tragic world? And what is the role of the church, the people of God, each of us, in being part of the building up of God’s reign of joy and peace that the angels first announced, and then Jesus by his life, death and resurrection promised us?
I heard Blessed John XXIII’s Easter message from Vatican Radio the Easter before he died and well remember him saying a Christian has everything to hope for and nothing to fear. Remember, “Perfect love casts out fear,” (1 John 4:18).
We are living in a world filled with fear. Terrorism is very real to us, the danger of nuclear weapons looms large again, we fear for our children playing in streets and playgrounds. Blessed John’s words may seem naïve and the words of Jesus in the Gospel, “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God;”( Mt. 5: 9) and “…love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you…” (Mt. 6:44) may seem impossible. Yet we know that Jesus never asks the impossible.
Once again in this Advent/Christmas season, we are called to conversion of mind, heart and life. We can grow in love; we can let love cast out our fears. And we can live more peacefully.
As we remember the words of Pope John Paul II, “War is a defeat for humanity; war should belong to the tragic past –– to history,” please pray for our troops, for everyone caught in the war and especially for the initiators of violence.
This season is very busy and we can be overly tired –– pray for those who annoy you in stores or in traffic. Peace is possible, but first we must practice it in our everyday lives.
Visit the Faithful Citizenship Web site at www.ccctx.org/fc_cst_life.php to read about the church’s teaching on respect for all life –– even the lives of our enemies. There is a link to the Institute for Peace and Justice, an interfaith site founded by Catholics, Jim and Kathy McGinnis, with many resources for families and adults. There is also a link to Pax Christi, the Catholic peace movement.
Finally, pray for the intercession of Blessed Franz Jaegerstatter who was killed for refusing to serve in Hitler’s army. Like us, he lived in a confused world where violence seemed the only response. His life and example can be a help to us.
May God bless us throughout this Advent. May he bless our hearts, lives and world with peace!
Mary Berwick is a parishioner at St. Austin Parish in Austin and co-founded the Pax Christi chapter in Austin. She is a member of many peace and justice groups including Women in Black and Fellowship of Reconciliation.