Pastoral Letter to the Clergy and Faithful of the Catholic Diocese of Tombura-Yambio, South Sudan as we begin the season of Advent
MY PASTORAL MESSAGE FOR THE SEASON OF ADVENT
CATHOLIC DIOCESE OF TOMBURA-YAMBIO
N.149/CDTY/022
November 26, 2022
Theme: You know ‘the time has come: you must wake up now… (Rm 13:11ff)
My dear Sisters and brothers in Christ,
We have entered the Holy Season of Advent. What is Advent? The simple answer to this question is that Advent is a period of four weeks in preparation for the celebration of the birth of Jesus Christ at Christmas and also in preparation for the Second Coming of Christ. It is our spiritual journey to celebrate Christmas. But if we do not know, what Christmas is we will fail to know what Advent is for.
In the readings of the Mass on this First Sunday of Advent, we find Jesus referring to the end of the world and the Last Judgement when Christ will come in glory. Jesus exhorts us to be ready and to hold our heads high because our redemption is at hand.
It may seem strange that at the beginning of our preparation for Christmas, the message is centered on the end of the world and the coming of Christ in glory. This is the second coming of Jesus, and the church tells us that as we prepare for the birth of Jesus, we are really preparing for the meeting we will eventually have with the Lord when our time comes to give an account of our life.
Christmas is not just a memory of the day when Jesus was born in Bethlehem, but it is also a reminder that there will be, so to say, another coming of Jesus, another final encounter with him, for which we are constantly preparing, but around Christmas, this preparation is put more into focus.
Advent is the beginning of a new Liturgical Year in the Church. In a way, we continue our journey but at the same time, we renew and give more impetus to our preparation to welcome Christ into our lives as he is always knocking on our door. As we read in the Book of Revelation, “Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come into him and eat with him, and he with me.” (Rev. 3, 20).
How do we prepare for Christmas? For many, the reaction to this question will be buying presents and preparing shopping lists for when the family gathers to celebrate. There is nothing wrong with the material preparations for Christmas, but if the spiritual preparation is missing then it is a half-baked preparation and the whole point of Christmas is lost.
This four-week preparation invites us to reflect on how much God has loved us, in sending His own Son to be born to show us the face of God and to save us through his death and resurrection from sin and assuring us of eternal life. “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whoever believed in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” (Jn 2, 16).
While reflecting on God’s love for us, we are invited to respond to God’s love, and Christ tells us how this response should be. “A new commandment I give unto you, that you love one another as I have loved you.” (John 13:34). Loving our neighbor is the measure of our love of God. As James tells us in his letter, “faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead”. (James 2, 17).
Jesus himself tells us what it means to love one another when he describes the last judgment. “For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me to drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, I was naked and you clothed me, I was sick and … “(cf. Mt 25, 35-40).
Pope Francis is all the time reminding us of our duties as Christians and as members of the family of humankind, to remember the poor, the homeless, the underprivileged, the refugees, and those suffering from disasters whether natural or created by wars and persecutions. God did not close his eyes to our needs, and we are called to open our eyes to the needs of others and be ready to help according to our means and circumstances.
In the last two years, due to violence in our diocese, which unfortunately is still with us in many forms, so much has changed, and we have changed. Nobody and no institution can boast of not having been affected by the violence as well as the pandemic of covid-19. We all suffered and are suffering in some way or other, whether financially, emotionally, psychologically, and physically.
We are living in uncertain times. In these times the best in us has come out, trying to help those who needed our help and support. We are not out of the woods yet, and we pray that we may see the end of the tunnel in the near future.
During this special season may I request us to HEAL our diocese through inner conversion, and through honest conversations among ourselves. It is and must be real synod. Listening to one another is the way out of the problems we encountered. It is also our Diocesan Stage of the Universal Synod called by Pope Francis, entitled ‘For a Synodal Church: Communion, Participation, and Mission. On this, let me offer short explanation:
A Synod is not a debating event where people bring their arguments and opinions in order to win a discussion. A Synod is a prayerful journey of listening to what the Holy Spirit may be saying to the Church at this time so that we may live the Gospel values and continue the mission of Christ in our own times, with the present needs and opportunities.
We are all invited by Pope Francis to take an active part. Indeed, the very word Synod means on a journey TOGETHER. It is important that in our Diocese we listen to each other, we listen to the voices of those not in the church pews, in our villages, communities, or inner circles, and together we listen to the Word of God which has been handed down to us.
In our Diocese this can be the second step in a longer and deeper listening journey to help us shape the Diocese for the future, building on the work of Hope in the Future and other positive initiatives. In this journey, it is important that we hear from people who have drifted from the Church and feel that the Church does not offer them the assistance that they need or is not fulfilling its mission as they understand it. We will need to listen to those on the margins of the Church or of society and those who feel excluded from either. It will be important to hear, also, from people of other traditions about how they perceive the Church.
What has not changed despite the difficult times we have and are experiencing is the message of Advent. That message tells us of God’s love for us and of our need for that saving love. Our whole life is our Advent, during which time we prepare ourselves for the moment when we enter fully into the life of God. This Advent may something more of Christ enter us – the PEACE of the Baby Jesus Christ!
With the assurance of my prayers and a blessing on you all.
Given on the 26th of November 2022.
+ Barani Eduardo Hiiboro Kussala
Bishop of the Catholic Diocese of Tombura-Yambio,
