Dear Friends,
During these darkest and shortest days of the
year – and in the midst of a pandemic that is steadily gaining its grip
on our world, not losing it – I have found myself reflecting on how
important it is to hold onto hope, to keep hope alive. But, to be honest
with you, it’s not always easy. Some days are better than others. And
something tells me that your experience is probably much the same. There
are so many things that militate against hope, aren’t there? So many
things can cause us to become cynical and sour.
Of course, some people are naturally inclined to
be more hopeful than others. Maybe you are among them. Speaking for
myself, I’d have to own that sometimes my Irish melancholy and fatalism
can get the best of me! However, in my better days, I am able to see the
bright side, and I thank God for that.
And people, of course, look for hope – and find
hope - in many different places. Many of us, these days, find the
growing likelihood of the availability of a vaccine for COVID-19 to be a
real source of hope although, as we all know, there are people – an
alarming percentage, it seems – who make it clear that they have no
intention of availing themselves of a vaccine when it does become
available. And in the wake of a bruising national election, there are
tens of millions of people who are hopeful about a new administration
taking over in Washington, but you hardly need me to tell you that there
are nearly as many millions who are disbelieving and anything but
hopeful at the prospect! All this to say that it’s somewhere between
difficult to impossible – if we look at the world scene and the national
scene - to come to any kind of agreement on what we have to be hopeful
about.
But enough of the war between hope and
hopelessness! Let me remind you of a reason we all have to be hopeful.
We are about to enter the month of December, and on the Church’s
calendar, that means the beginning of Advent, our great season of
expectant hope. It’s no accident that Advent comes during the very
darkest days of the year. In Christian antiquity, when a date for
celebrating Christmas was settled on (no one, of course, knew what time
of year Christ was born), the time of the winter solstice was chosen –
the time when pagans celebrated the feast of Sol Invictus (the
Invincible Sun). What more appropriate time to mark the coming of Christ
into our world, Christ who is the Invincible Sun (and Son!), Christ who
is our light in darkness, our hope!
Who doesn’t love Advent with its purple
vestments, its haunting melodies, its flickering candles, its ringing
bells, its quiet anticipation, its sheer – if restrained – joy? And this
year, more than any I can remember, we need Advent. We really do. In
2020, more than ever before, we need a ray of light in darkness, we need
a rekindling of hope, the hope that the coming of Christ at Christmas
brings.
Wouldn’t it be wonderful if we could
anticipate that Coming with the joy and excitement that children have at
Christmas? And wouldn’t it be wonderful if we would not only look with
wonder at the Christ child, poor and vulnerable, lying in the manger,
but also look with love at the Christ living in so many of our sisters
and brothers who are as poor and vulnerable as he was?
We have had to let go of so many of our
beloved traditions this year. And I am painfully aware that many of us
are isolated and homebound, separated from our families, friends and
loved ones at the very time we most look forward to being together. But
let me offer just a few suggestions on how we can still enter into
Advent this year, feeding our spirits and finding Christ in our brothers
and sisters.
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Mass. We have four
Masses every weekend, and more and more of you are coming. It’s our
most important prayer, and if you’re able to, it’s the perfect
Advent prayer. If you’re concerned about being around a lot of
people, consider slipping into the Cathedral for daily Mass at
8:00am during the week, where you’ll encounter much smaller numbers
and a serene and quiet atmosphere.
-
Musical
Prayer from the Cathedral. Even though we can’t pack
the Cathedral for our December concerts, we can still enjoy the
peace and beauty of Advent music. Each Friday during Advent, at
6:30pm, join in a short livestream concert. It’s a wonderful way to
experience a half hour of pure beauty at the end of the week.
-
The
Advent Giving Tree is online this year. Visit the
Cathedral website to see a wish list and as you do your Christmas
shopping, consider also buying a gift for someone who needs
it—whether a young mother living in poverty, a youth in juvenile
detention, an immigrant family, or a child of migrant workers in the
Skagit Valley.
-
Advent Readings and Carols.
We can’t gather in person for Advent Readings and Carols this year,
but tune in on Sunday, December 20 at 6:30pm for a livestream
service that will help prepare our hearts and spirits for the coming
of Christmas.
My friends, during these days of the
pandemic when we might be inclined to turn in on ourselves a bit -
chafing against the limitations placed on us and worrying about the
future over which we have no control – perhaps the thought that we can
be a source of hope for others will charge our batteries and re-focus
our energies as we reach out in love to those who have far less reason
to hope than we do. Wouldn’t this be the perfect way to celebrate
Christmas – and capture the meaning of Christmas – during an Advent and
Christmas unlike any other we’ve ever known or, please God – ever will
know!
Father Michael G. Ryan
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