My brothers and sisters in Christ.
This Sunday, December 1st, is the first Sunday of Advent; therefore, we are starting a new liturgical year in the Catholic Church. We are starting to read the Gospel according to Luke. With this new year in the Church, Holy Trinity family is also starting to celebrate this wonderful season of Advent with different activities.
We start to light the Advent wreath every Sunday. “Advent candles readily demonstrate the strong contrast between darkness and light, which is an important biblical image. Jesus referred to himself as the “Light of the World” that dispels the darkness of sin: “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness but will have the light of life” (John 8:12) (The Advent Wreath Tradition). When we light one of these candles, we are telling all people that Jesus Christ, the light of the world, is coming. We are very excited and preparing for His coming.
We are not only starting a new liturgical year, but our Jubilee 2025. This tradition dates back to 1300 AD, when Pope Boniface VIII declared a universal festival for the entire Church. Originally, the Church celebrates the Jubilee every 100 years, but now we celebrate it every 25 years in order that all faithful participates at least once in their life. I do remember the last Jubilee, which was in the year 2000, when I was a seminarian in Colombia.
The official day for the opening of the Holy Door and the Jubilee will be on Christmas Eve, when Pope Francis opens the Holy Door of St. Peter’s Basilica. This will be at 7:00 p.m. Rome Time. In our Diocese of Rochester, there will be a special Mass on December 24th at 11:15 a.m. at Sacred Heart Cathedral. All are welcome to join Bishop Matano and participate in this Eucharist at the Cathedral. In addition to the great tradition of opening this Holy Door, other holy doors will be open at the different basilicas in Rome. For pilgrims who cannot travel to Rome, the local bishops will designate the
cathedral as a place of pilgrimage for prayer, offering opportunities of reconciliation, indulgences, and other moments to strengthen our Catholic faith. The theme is “Pilgrims of Hope”, and it will be a year of hope for a world suffering the impacts of war, the ongoing effects of COVID-19 pandemic, and a climate crisis.
Let us start this new liturgical year in the company of the Lord, participating in this Holy Year of Jubilee. Let us renew our faith in the Lord, always feeling joy because the Lord God is always with us.
Remember, The parish that we dream is the parish that I help to build. God bless you, and may the Blessed Virgin Mary be with you always!
Fr. Jorge Ramirez
