As we begin the Season of Advent, prayers for hope, healing, and peace

Deliver us, Lord, we pray, from every evil, graciously grant peace in our days, that, by the help of your mercy, we may be always free from sin and safe from all distress, as we await the blessed hope and the coming of our Savior, Jesus Christ.

BISHOP KEVIN J. SWEENEY

The words of prayer quoted above should be familiar to most (all) readers. Some may be thinking and asking, “I know that prayer. Where have I heard it?” Many will realize quickly that these are the words that the priest prays at Mass, immediately following the “Our Father.” Although we pray these words at every Mass, since my early years as a priest, I have felt that this prayer has an “Advent flavor.” Some themes of the Advent Season are waiting in Hope; waiting for the coming of the Messiah; and preparing and waiting for the birth of the Prince of Peace. When we say or hear these words at every Mass, “as we await the blessed hope and the coming of our Savior, Jesus Christ,” we are about to “welcome Him under our roof” by receiving Him in Holy Communion. We focus on that waiting (in blessed hope) in a particular way during the Season of Advent.

What does it mean to wait in joyful or blessed hope? That is a question we can ask ourselves during the Season of Advent. The Church, parishes, schools, families, and other communities of faith will offer Christmas plays and concerts, reconciliation prayer services and the Sacrament of Reconciliation, Bible Study, daily and Sunday Mass, the Rosary, and many other opportunities to assist us in our Advent waiting and preparation.

One way the Church describes the Season of Advent is:

“Advent has a two-fold character, for it is a time of preparation for the Solemnities of Christmas, in which the First Coming of the Son of God to humanity is remembered, and likewise a time when, by remembrance of this, minds and hearts are led to look forward to Christ’s Second Coming at the end of time. For these two reasons, Advent is a period of devout and expectant delight.”

— Universal Norms for the Liturgical Year and the Calendar

Other, possibly more secular, ways of describing this time of year are “the Holidays” or the “Christmas (Shopping?) Season.” As people of faith and prayer, many of us can see that Advent, like other liturgical seasons, is an opportunity for individuals, families, and communities to deepen our faith and be renewed, especially in our communal life of prayer. An older translation of the prayer quoted above said, “… as we await in joyful hope the coming of our Savior, Jesus Christ.” The updated translation uses “blessed hope.” Personally, I preferred “joyful hope,” but the meaning is the same. I mention that minor change because, as we enter the Season of Advent, we can all ask in prayer for the grace to have that experience of “waiting in joyful (blessed) hope.” Most of us are also aware that many find it difficult to feel or know that “joyful hope,” especially at this time of year. “The Holidays” or the Christmas Season is a difficult and challenging time for many of our sisters and brothers.

There are many reasons why some find it difficult to feel the “Christmas Spirit” or have that sense of waiting in joyful hope. In my years as a priest and now as a bishop, I have learned that this can be a difficult time of year for those who have been victims of sexual abuse, especially for those who have been victims of clergy sexual abuse.

For more than a generation, we as a Church have been grappling with the tragedy of clergy sexual abuse that has harmed the innocent and scandalized the faithful. The history of how that abuse has been addressed by our leaders, and how our leaders, at times, failed to address abuse when it became known, has had a marring effect on the Church’s credibility as a moral teacher. But even more tragic than that loss of teaching credibility has been the heartbreak of victims who bear the cross of betrayal and hurt for a lifetime. It has been a very long and difficult journey, but I believe that we have learned many lessons, asked forgiveness for our failings, and are committed to safe environment and reporting protocols and policies so that the profound failures of the past will not be repeated. We also have an ongoing responsibility to those who have been hurt by a representative of the Church. In Advent, we await the coming of the Messiah, Jesus Christ, who redeems us and restores all that was thought lost through the power of sin. The power of God’s love is infinitely stronger, and so we can pray that the words of the Psalm are the hope of victims, “The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit” (Psalm 34:18).

Like most dioceses in our country, our diocese has a Victims Assistant Coordinator who is a resource to victims and victim-survivors and offers counseling services to help those who are in need of healing. Dr. Kenneth McNiel serves as our Diocesan Victims Assistance Coordinator. For more information, you can go to our Diocesan website: https://rcdop.org/assistance-for-survivors.

As we continue our outreach to victim-survivors, I am grateful to Dr. McNeil and other members of our diocesan leadership who are part of this important ministry. I have also met with some victim-survivors and continued to express our sorrow for the pain they have experienced. I have also been inspired and humbled to learn how some who have been hurt have also experienced healing and continue to walk the journey of faith, assisting the Church to be the place of healing and welcome that we strive to be.

In recent conversations with Dr. McNeil, Sr. Theresa Lee, FMA, our Chancellor and Delegate for Religious, with victim-survivors and others, we are working towards offering an additional resource to those who have been victims of clergy sexual abuse. In the coming weeks, we will be offering a chaplaincy of spiritual accompaniment for victim-survivors. We will share more information at an Advent Prayer Service and gathering at our St. Paul’s Evangelization Center on Saturday, Dec. 7, at 1 p.m. Please see the flyer or go to our website for details. All are welcome.

If we can respond to the “invitation of Advent,” the opportunity to prepare together for the Birth of Jesus at Christmas, then the words that we will hear in the First Reading at Mass on Christmas Eve may speak to us in a new way, letting us know that He is Emmanuel, “God with us,” the Prince of Peace, who came to save us, all of us, and who truly came to give us healing and peace:

“The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light;

 upon those who dwelt in the land of gloom a light has shone. You have brought them abundant joy and great rejoicing … For a child is born to us, a son is given us;

 upon his shoulder dominion rests. They name him Wonder-Counselor, God-Hero,

 Father-Forever, Prince of Peace.” 

Is 9:1–2, 5