God's Word and Daily Life

IT'S A YEAR OF JUBILEE!

By Fr. Bernard Holzer, aa 

For Pope Francis «Hope is the central message of the coming Jubilee:” Hope does not disappoint” (Rom 5:5), that, in accordance with an ancient tradition, the Pope proclaims every twenty-five years.

Let’s enter this New Year with hope! Let’s meditate on the Bull of Indiction of the Ordinary Jubilee of the Year 2025!

“Everyone knows what it is to hope. In the heart of each person, hope dwells as the desire and expectation of good things to come, despite our not knowing what the future may bring. Even so, uncertainty about the future may at times give rise to conflicting feelings, ranging from confident trust to apprehensiveness, from serenity to anxiety, from firm conviction to hesitation and doubt. Often we come across people who are discouraged, pessimistic and cynical about the future, as if nothing could possibly bring them happiness. For all of us, may the Jubilee be an opportunity to be renewed in hope. God’s word helps us find reasons for that hope. Taking it as our guide, let us return to the message that the Apostle Paul wished to communicate to the Christians of Rome.”

See the full text at www.vatican.caange

Photo credit : Fr. Treb Futol

By Randy Rances

This coming 22^nd of the month is the fourth and last Sunday of Advent. Christmas is just behind our doorstep. But what spiritual preparations have we done so far, to welcome the birth of our Lord?

The Fourth Sunday of Advent brings us to the threshold of Christmas, a time filled with anticipation and joy as we prepare for the birth of Christ. The Gospel reading often focuses on Mary and Joseph, highlighting their roles in God’s plan for salvation. This Sunday invites us to meditate on themes of trust, obedience, and the profound mystery of Emmanuel—God with us.

Mary’s fiat, her wholehearted "yes" to God, is central to the Advent story. Despite her fears and uncertainties, Mary chooses to trust in God's plan. Her response reminds us of the power of surrendering to divine will, even when the path ahead seems unclear. In a world that often values control and certainty, Mary’s example challenges us to open our hearts to God’s transformative grace.

The promise of Emmanuel—God with us—forms the heart of this Sunday’s reflection. In Jesus, God steps into human history, embracing our joys and sorrows, our struggles and triumphs. This truth offers us hope and consolation: no matter our circumstances, we are never alone. The coming of Christ assures us that God is intimately present in our lives.

Photo credit: Fr. Treb Futol

By Fr. Bernard Holzer

The second candle of the Advent wreath is the candle of PEACE.

During this second week of Advent, let us continue to pray for peace, in tormented Ukraine, in the Middle East – Palestine, Israel, Lebanon, now in Syria – in Myanmar, Sudan and in more than fifty countries where people suffer from war and violence. Let us pray so that we may reach the feast of the Nativity with a ceasefire on all fronts of war. A utopia? Naïve dream?

God teaches us that it is not the most powerful who will necessarily make things happen. Like John the Baptist in the desert, let us see in these desperate situations the signs which are not noisy, but hope for the world. Let us share the expectations of humans who aspire for peace, let us listen to their cries, let us echo them around us. The Prince of Peace we are waiting for will prevail over all wars! This is our hope, this is our faith.

“Lord, make me an instrument of your peace:

where there is hatred, let me sow love;

where there is injury, pardon;

where there is doubt, faith;

where there is despair, hope;

where there is darkness, light;

where there is sadness, joy.

O divine Master,

grant that I may not so much seek to be consoled as to console,

to be understood as to understand,

to be loved as to love.

For it is in giving that we receive,

it is in pardoning that we are pardoned,

and it is in dying that we are born to eternal life. Amen.”

- Peace Prayer of St. Francis

(Photo credit: Ms. Rica de Leon)

By Fr. Bernard Holzer, aa

The first candle of the Advent wreath is the candle of HOPE. HOPE is one of the virtues to be cultivated during this time of preparation for Christmas, for the coming of God in us and in our midst.

While the bad news rains down: persecutions, conflicts, natural disasters, injustice, corruption, theft... not to mention our weaknesses, our sins... and those of others whom we see so easily... Let us ask for the virtue of HOPE. Let us accept to entrust ourselves and events to God.

This is a training, a change of perspective, a conversion. Let us ask God for this grace of HOPE for ourselves and for our rulers.

“It can happen that the anxiety, fears and worries about our personal lives or about what is happening in the world today weigh down on us like boulders and throw us into discouragement. If worries weigh down our hearts and induce us to close in on ourselves, Jesus, on the contrary, invites us to lift up our heads, to trust in His love that wants to save us and that draws close to us in every situation of our existence, He asks us to make room for Him in order to find hope again.” – Pope Francis, Angelus on Sunday December 1, 2024

By Rosanna Aures

On Dec. 1, we will celebrate the First Sunday of Advent.

Advent is also a season of preparation, not just in outward decorations or festive gatherings but in the preparation of our hearts. It challenges us to make room for Christ amid the clutter of our lives. This preparation calls us to repentance, to reorient our priorities, and to clear the distractions that keep us from fully receiving God's presence.

Waiting is at the heart of Advent, and in today’s fast-paced world, waiting can feel like an uncomfortable pause in productivity. Yet, Advent reminds us that waiting is not idle; it is active. It invites us to cultivate patience and trust, to believe in what we cannot yet see. Like the prophets who awaited the Messiah, we, too, learn to embrace the sacred tension of living between the "already" of Christ’s birth and the "not yet" of His return.