Do not lose hope
Purple Catholic Saturday Post
Good morning and happy Saturday.
We are entering the final days of Advent; our brief penitential and preparatory season ahead of the celebration of the birth of Christ is coming to a close.
When we sin and fall away from our commitment to follow Christ in our lives, we are faced with two options: self pity or repentance and choosing to move on.
In seasons such as these, we are reminded that the best path forward is repentance. As we read in the prophet Isaiah:
thou hast held back my life
from the pit of destruction,
for thou hast cast all my sins
behind thy back. (38:17)
When we fall and remain in a state of self pity, we are ignoring the truth that Christ is victorious. While there is nothing inherently wrong about reflection on what led us to sin in order to avoid that situation again, dwelling upon the sin and constantly beating our breasts about what horrible Christians we are hinders our ability to move forward.
Rather, in these instances, we should be reassured and be hopeful that all is not loss. First, Christ knows exactly the sorts of temptations that we have. The letter to the Hebrews says, “For we have not a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sinning” (4:15). Christ is our prime example of what it means to be human; emulating him means that we will be tempted, but we must resist that temptation as he did.
Secondly, we always have the opportunity to turn back regardless of the depths of our depravity. St. John tells us, “If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just, and will forgive our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:8-9). Though we may attempt to emulate Christ, we fall short due to our fallen nature. Yet, Christ is just and became incarnate to save us from our depravity. He will welcome us back if we only turn to him.
As we end this purple season (literally), I encourage you to not become discouraged if we have not made the best efforts to return to him more fully. We still have the opportunity to do so in these final days and we can rejoice on Christmas as we celebrate the fact that our merciful and just judge became like us to set us free.
Programming note:
There will be no new episodes of Michigan Mornings™ on Christmas Eve or Christmas Day. There will be two special editions, however, on December 26th and 27th celebrating the feasts of St. Stephen and St. John.
While the episodes are not yet published, you can click these links on their respective release dates to listen to the program.
Fourth Sunday of Advent
This week we are entering the Fourth Week of Advent. This Sunday we will hear readings from Micah 5:1-4, Psalm 80, Hebrews 10:5-10, and Luke 1:39-45.
Here are some resources to help you prep for the readings this Sunday:
Why Mary Matters - Bishop Robert Barron (Winona-Rochester, Minnesota)
Lectio Divina on Fourth Sunday of Advent (Bishop David Walker (Broken Bay, Australia)
In the Liturgy of the Hours, we are in Psalter Week IV. In the Office of Readings we are continuing our readings from Isaiah up to and including Christmas. On the feast of St. Stephen, we read from the Acts of the Apostles. On the feast of St. John, we read from his first epistle. On the feast of the Holy Innocents, we read from Exodus.
Here is a calendar for the rest of the week:
Monday, December 23 - Memorial of St. John Kanty, priest (optional)
Thursday, December 26 - Feast of St. Stephen, martyr
Friday, December 27 - Feast of St. John, apostle and evangelist
Saturday, December 28 - Feast of the Holy Innocents, martyrs
Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word.
Luke 1:38
In the news:
The United States
Trump picks CatholicVote President Burch for US ambassador to Holy See - Reuters
Missouri priest says he stole money to keep it from diocesan oversight - The Pillar
U.S. bishops designate National Shrine as Jubilee 2025 pilgrimage site - Catholic News Agency
A just wage for Church employees - Brian Pedraza in the Church Life Journal
"Die Hard" is not a Christmas movie, unless ... - Terry Mattingly in Rational Sheep
The Vatican
Vatican stresses strict rules on ‘biritual’ clergy for Eastern Churches - The Pillar
Pope Francis reveals he survived two assassination attempts during visit to Iraq - America Magazine
The World
Jesus’ crown of thorns returned to Notre Dame Cathedral - Catholic Herald
Iraqi leader: No plot to kill Pope Francis during 2021 visit - The Pillar
Record number of Belgians request Catholic disaffiliation - The Pillar
Have a good weekend,
Matthew