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Blessing of the Advent Wreath
Archbishop
Humphreys' Advent 2015 Pastoral Letter
“The night is
past, and the day is at hand. Let us therefore cast off the works of
darkness, and put on the armor of light.”
Perhaps the greatest blow stuck against
the Catholic Faith in the post‑Vatican II era has been the loss of emphasis on
the Four Last Things: Death, Judgement, Heaven and Hell. The next
greatest blow may well have been the de-emphasis of personal fasting and
penance. The two, of course, are closely tied together, for none of us is
perfect, and when we do reach that inevitable day of judgement the balance of
our good works and our evil deeds will be weighed with close attention to our
individual holiness. Did we do the good things seeking union with God, and did
we do our best to make up for the sinful deeds by doing penance.
I have never been a hell-fire and
brimstone preacher, so it will have to suffice to say that Death,
Judgement, Heaven and Hell are all real. Death is
inevitable for all of us, for we are material creatures capable of
decomposition; and it may come to us at any time, no matter how young or how old
we may be. Judgement is a certainty for God has given us the
gifts of life and wisdom, and His Justice requires Him to hold us accountable
for how we use His gifts. Heaven is real, Jesus and Mary are
already there, and our Lord has told us that “In my Father's house there are
many mansions … I go to prepare a place for you.”
But, unfortunately, Hell is equally real. And, in spite of what
the modernist bishops and theologians will tell you, the danger of going to Hell
is real. “Be not afraid of them who kill the body…: fear ye him, who after he
hath killed, hath power to cast into hell.”
All of these things are extremely real.
But, pretty much, we ourselves are the ones who have the power to “cast into
hell.” Our Lord has died for our sins—He has freely given us the graces of
Baptism. Holy Mass, and Holy Communion. He has even given us the grace of
Sacramental Confession to take away the sins we commit through human weakness
and frailty. We have copious opportunities to prepare for Judgement Day. We
condemn ourselves if we fail to make this preparation,
Which brings us back to fasting and
penance, and the observance of Advent which begins today. We might ask: “Why do
we do penance?” Well, there are a number of reasons.
The first reason for penance is to show
God our sorrow for offending Him. Virtually all sin is rooted in excessive
pride, and doing penance is always an exercise in humility. To give up the
things that please me is a demonstration that I don’t consider myself an
all‑important creature. And there seems to be a certain justice in depriving
ourselves whenever we have deprived God of our love and obedience. Quite
likely, God will see our sacrifice as meritorious and grant us His graces in
return
The second reason for penance is to
develop self-control. If we have practiced giving up the innocent pleasures in
life, we will find it easier to refuse the not‑so‑innocent pleasures that may
come long every so often. If you can walk away from the table, or refuse that
extra drink, you will find it easier walk away from and to refuse the things
that are truly sinful. And, indeed, many of the occasions of sin are found
precisely where people gather to eat and drink too much! (Parties don’t seem to
get too wild if everyone is fasting!)
The third reason is that moderation or
abstinence is good for us—physically and spiritually good for us. A moderate
intake of food and drink, and abstinence from destructive vices like tobacco
will not only make us healthier—it will leave us more open to the spiritual
life. A body weighed down by food and alcohol, or left gasping for breath by
cigarettes, does a really poor job of lifting itself up to God in prayer. And
the same can be said for the mind that is not cluttered with the useless chatter
of movies, television, and cocktail parties—the clear mind is far more able to
receive God in prayer.
Be aware that our penance is good not
only for us, but for all those around us—particularly those who have been
deceived into thinking it is unnecessary. We really should do penance for the
errant members of our families, for our neighbors, for the politicians, for
those who do not know Jesus Christ, and for those who do know Him but act like
they don’t. Do penance and pray for their conversion!
So, as we begin this new liturgical year
with this First Sunday of Advent, I ask you to take a renewed interest in the
traditional penitential practices of the Church: the observance of abstinence
on Fridays and Ember Days, fasting during Advent and Lent, perhaps giving what
you save thereby to the poor and homeless, and additional prayer on all of these
days.
Advent is a bit shorter than Lent, but,
unfortunately, it is a time when we can get caught up by the pagan spirit of our
age. Catholics do not celebrate Christmas during Advent, and we certainly don’t
celebrate Christmas by buying unnecessary merchandise, or be partying wildly.
Arrange your social calendar for the next month in a way that you will not be
distracted with parties, movies, and television—make sure to set aside time for
prayer. Set aside time for good works. Plan to make a good Confession before
Christmas.
“The night is
past, and the day is at hand.
Let us therefore cast off the works of darkness,
and put on the armor of light.”
