By Bishop Joseph R. Kopacz, D.D.
Last weekend throughout the Catholic world marked Good Shepherd Sunday at the turning point in the Easter Season. The 23rd psalm is one of the beloved pieces in the psalter in praise of God’s shepherding of his people.
Jesus embraced this image as the cornerstone to portray his mission in our world. In fact, the earliest surviving fresco of Jesus was discovered in the catacombs in the 2nd century depicting the Lord as the Good Shepherd. In last Sunday’s Gospel from John the Lord proclaimed: “I am the Good Shepherd. A Good Shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. A hired hand, who is not a shepherd and whose sheep are not his own, sees the wolf coming and leaves the sheep and runs away, and the wolf catches and scatters them. This is because he works for pay and has no concern for the sheep. I am the Good Shepherd and I know mine and mine know me, as the Father knows me and I know the Father, and I lay down my life for the sheep. (John 10:11-15)

As the Lord shepherds us, He commands that we shepherd with His mind and heart, washing one another’s feet (13, 1ff) and loving one another. (13:34) This standard, first and foremost, is intended for his disciples in all walks of life, but it can be a cornerstone for all who exercise authority, in the home, in society on every level, and, of course, in the church.
Within most groups of people we know there are good shepherds; there are hired hands, and there are wolves. This is true of the clergy, police officers, teachers, parents, healthcare workers, etc. Many genuinely care and lay down their lives for the sheep. Others are working for the paycheck or biding their time, and some are wolves.
Consider the tragic events surrounding the death of George Floyd at the hands of Derrick Chauvin and other officers. They have degraded the badge and the reputation of many in law enforcement who are good shepherds. One reporter opined that there was a look of indifference on the face of former officer Chauvin, devoid of empathy or remorse. Pope Francis often rails against the pernicious virus of indifference. “Amid a culture of indifference which not infrequently turns ruthless, our style of life should be devout, filled with empathy and mercy.” All who lay down their lives to protect the citizenry from the criminal element who have no regard for life or decency, are owed a debt of gratitude. Those in law enforcement who are just collecting a check and biding time must see the urgency of becoming good shepherds. Those who are wolves must be removed.
From the title of Pope Francis’ latest Apostolic Exhortation, Fraternity and Social Friendship, a conversion of mind and heart that breaks down the walls of racism, and indifference to the plight of people’s suffering is humankind’s best hope. There are parallels in the ranks of the clergy and in every profession. In the sexual abuse crisis in the church it became apparent that there were wolves among the many good shepherds. The good news is that this hidden corruption has been brought into the light of the Gospel and the demands of justice, and genuine conversion and change are transforming the church. The Good Shepherds continue to serve well. Those who may feel like hired hands working for a paycheck are called to stir into a flame the gift they received at ordination. All known wolves are removed.
During this year of St. Joseph we recall the words of Pope Francis who describes the foster father of Jesus’ assent to the Angel Gabriel as a total gift of self in service to Mary, his betrothed, to the Christ child, and to God’s plan of salvation. This silent saint is an outstanding model of a good shepherd. The Christ child was the Good Shepherd who laid down his life as pure gift for the salvation of the world. In turn, we are God’s children now and the gift of self finds its source in our identity as God’s sons and daughters, members of his Son’s body and temples of the Holy Spirit. This is the cornerstone over and against pervasive violence, hatred and indifference.
May the words of the 23rd psalm resonate in our minds and hearts: “The Lord is my Shepherd there is nothing I shall want. In verdant pastures he gives me repose … He prepares a table before me; he anoints my head with oil, my cup overflows. Only goodness and kindness shall follow me all the days of my life, and I shall live dwell in the house of the Lord forever.”

By Bishop Joseph R. Kopacz, D.D.
“God of everlasting mercy, who in the very recurrence of the paschal feast kindle the faith of the people you have made your own, increase, we pray, the grace you have bestowed, that all may grasp and rightly understand in what Font they have been washed, by whose Spirit they have been reborn, by whose Blood they have been redeemed.”
This opening Collect of the Second Sunday of Easter (or of Divine Mercy) is the profound prayer of the priest celebrant on behalf of all gathered that all may grasp and rightly understand the mystery of God’s plan of salvation as disciples baptized into the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. This is the Water, the Blood, and the Spirit of which St. John eloquently speaks in his first letter. This is the hope of Easter that St. Augustine shared in one of his Easter Octave Sermons. “This is the octave day of your new birth. … When the Lord rose he put off the mortality of the flesh; His risen body was still the same body, but it was no longer subject to death. By His resurrection He consecrated Sunday as the Lord’s day.”

As Catholics we are a people of tradition reaching back nearly 2000 years into the font of Sacred Scripture. This is evident in the link between the Gospel on Divine Mercy Sunday and the Sacrament of Confirmation now underway throughout the Diocese of Jackson.
The crucified and resurrected Lord appeared to the 11 disciples huddled in fear in the upper room with his gift of peace and the breath of the Holy Spirit. Confirmation is conferred with the Invocation of the Holy Spirit sealed in Sacred Chrism, and the Lord’s own greeting, “peace be with you.” The Holy Spirit is ceaselessly at work in whom we have been reborn as new creations to serve God’s divine plan of mercy. It is gift and mystery that reconcile and raise up those under the yoke of sin and shame.
“As the Father has sent me, so I send you,” so Jesus instructs his adopted brothers. They rightly could have asked, “where are you sending us, Lord?” Their marching orders were clear, yet shrouded in mystery. Go, preach a Baptism of Repentance for the forgiveness of sins, and make disciples of all the nations while you’re at it. The Baptism of Repentance for the forgiveness of sin is the Font in which we have been washed, our covenant with God renewed on Easter Sunday.
The joy with which St. Augustine addressed the newly baptized at Easter is the fruit of the Holy Spirit, and the Lord’s gift of peace. “I speak to you who have just been reborn in baptism, my little children in Christ, you who are the new offspring of the Church, gift of the Father, proof of Mother Church’s fruitfulness. All of you who stand fast in the Lord are a holy seed, a new colony of bees, the very flower of our ministry, and fruit of our toil, my joy and my crown.”
The Water, the Spirit and the Blood are the cord of three strands that cannot be easily undone. The Blood, the third element, was splattered everywhere during the Lord’s passion and along with water flowed from the side of the expired Savior on the Cross. In that moment of divine mercy, we see the flowing waters of Baptism and the Sacrament of the Body and Blood of the Lord. For the first time during the Easter season, the Eucharistic Banquet is now open to the newly baptized who can partake fully of the mysteries of God’s love, the fruit of full initiation.
In another lifetime before the pandemic, we were reading about surveys revealing that many Catholics no longer believe in the real presence of the Body and Blood of the Lord under the appearance of bread and wine. This central dogma of our faith has been a stumbling block for many since our Lord’s Bread of Life Discourse in John’s Gospel. (Chapter 6)
The following is taken from the Catechetical Lectures of St. Cyril of Jerusalem to those about to be baptized in the 4th century. “Since Christ himself has declared the bread to be his body, who can have any further doubt? Since he himself has said quite categorically, this is my blood, who would dare to question it and say that it is not his blood? Therefore, it is with complete assurance that we receive the bread and wine as the body and blood of Christ. … Do not then regard the Eucharistic elements as ordinary bread and wine. They are in fact the body and blood of the Lord, as he himself declared. Whatever your senses may tell you; be strong in faith.”
As a people of tradition, by God’s grace, may we grasp and rightly understand the length and breath, height and depth of our Easter faith.

By Bishop Joseph R. Kopacz, D.D.
What a year it has been! In the public arena the cancellation of March Madness last year was the first domino to fall in the world of sports at the outset of the pandemic. The impact remains strong one year later as we watch a near empty arena in Indianapolis for this year’s marathon college basketball tournament on its run to the final four. It is an apt symbol for the past 12 months.

Although many have thrived and while others are creatively adapting, many families and communities across the nation and world are hanging on for dear life. Many are unable or unwilling to venture back out into the mainstream, while others are pressing to return to normalcy. We especially pause to entrust to God all whom the virus has taken in death, and for all who mourn their passing. The Lord’s cross is evident in their suffering, and we pray in the hope of the resurrection.

Paralleling the world of sports, the effect of the pandemic upon our worship services was drastic at the outset. Except for a world-wide pandemic who could have imagined that the curtain would fall down on all public services and ministries beginning in the middle of Lent and continuing through Palm Sunday, Holy Week, the Triduum, Easter Sunday and most of the 50-day Easter season.

Speaking on behalf of all the faithful of the Diocese of Jackson, that was March, April and May madness of a different sort. We began to creatively adapt on Pentecost weekend, and have stayed on course ever since. But our cherished public celebrations of faith over the past year closely mirror the world of sports and much more in our nation and world. It feels like we are walking through deep mud, or trying to walk tentatively on ice, when we are so eager fly on eagle’s wings.

Our churches have been amazing since the reopening last May. Gradually more and more of the faithful have experienced that we are balancing reverence with vigilance in our resolve to adore the Lord God and care for one another. Now, may our hearts proclaim the greatness of the Lord as we enter into the holist of weeks to commemorate the Lord Jesus’ passion, death and resurrection.

We are still unable to usher all comers into a full church because our protocols must remain in place for the foreseeable future, but the dawn of new life is shining upon us. The palms will be blessed and carefully distributed. The Chrism Mass will be celebrated on Tuesday of Holy Week with the priests of the Diocese of Jackson who will renew their ordination vows. The Oil of Catechumens and the Oil of the Sick will be blessed, and the Oil of Chrism will be consecrated, all of which will be distributed to our parishes throughout the diocese. The commemoration of the Lord’s Supper on Holy Thursday, his death on Good Friday, and the outpouring of joy at the Vigil of his resurrection will be a departure from the desert into the promised land.

There is a deep hunger to worship together as the Body of Christ, to hear God’s Word and to receive the Body and Blood of the Lord. The psalmist express this insatiable desire. “O God, You are my God, earnestly I seek You; my soul thirsts for You; my body yearns for You in a dry and weary land without water.” (63:1) “I used to contemplate you in the sanctuary, seeing your power and glory; for your grace is better to me than life. My lips will worship you.” (63:3-4)

Although it is not possible for the throngs to gather on this Easter Sunday, it is important to remember that the Catholic Church celebrates Easter Sunday for eight days through the Octave culminating on Divine Mercy Sunday, the second Sunday of Easter. Plan to celebrate the Lord’s death and resurrection at one of the weekday Masses, or at another time early in the Easter Season. Let us never forget that the “dawn from on high has broken upon us, to shine on those who dwell in darkness and the shadow of death, and to guide our feet into the way of peace.” (Luke 1:78-79)

Yes, the Lord Jesus is risen! For many in our world this is madness. For those who believe it is the madness of the Good News, twelve months out of the year.

By Bishop Joseph R. Kopacz, D.D.
On Dec. 8, 2020 Pope Francis decreed that the year ahead in the Catholic world would be dedicated as the Year of St. Joseph. Fully steeped in the tradition of the Church the Holy Father was commemorating the 150th anniversary of the declaration of Pius IX who raised up St. Joseph as “Patron of the Catholic Church.”

Through the years Venerable Pius XII proposed him as “Patron of Workers” and St. John Paul II as “Guardian of the Redeemer.” St. Joseph is universally invoked as the “patron of a happy death.”
Patris Corde “With a Father’s Heart” is the loveable title of Pope Francis’ letter to the Catholic Church for this year long tribute. Peering deeply into the sacred scriptures, reflecting on the church’s tradition, and responding to the challenges and crises of our times, especially the world-wide pandemic, it is the desire of the Holy Father in this letter to offer a path forward through the lens of St. Joseph’s life.
The chapter headings of this inspiring letter unfold a timeless teaching about this remarkable man, the guardian of the Redeemer. He is a beloved father, a tender and loving father, an obedient father, an accepting father, a creatively courageous father, a working father, and a father in the shadows (out of the limelight).
With the world still reeling from the pandemic, Pope Francis raises up countless women and men who serve in the manner of St. Joseph. “People who do not appear in newspaper and magazine headlines, or on the latest television show, yet in these very days are surely shaping the decisive events of our history. Doctors, nurses, storekeepers and supermarket workers, cleaning personnel, caregivers, transport workers, men and women working to provide essential services and public safety, volunteers, priests, men and women religious, and so very many others. They understood that no one is saved alone… How many people daily exercise patience and offer hope, taking care to spread not panic, but shared responsibility. How many fathers, mothers, grandparents and teachers are showing our children, in small everyday ways, how to accept and deal with a crisis by adjusting their routines, looking ahead and encouraging the practice of prayer. How many are praying, making sacrifices and interceding for the good of all. Each of us can discover in Joseph – the man who goes unnoticed, a daily, discreet and hidden presence – an intercessor, a support and a guide in times of trouble. St. Joseph reminds us that those who appear hidden or in the shadows can play an incomparable role in the history of salvation. A word of recognition and of gratitude is due to them all.”
We can say with certainty that just as God had prepared Mary of Nazareth throughout her young life to be the virgin mother of the Savior, so too God had prepared St. Joseph to accept the unimaginable events crashing in on him that would have overwhelmed a lesser man of faith and courage.
The sacred scriptures provide a window into rich inner life of his faith that is recorded as a series of dreams guiding him to accept Mary into his home as his wife, to flee into Egypt, and eventually to return to Nazareth after the death of King Herod. Faith, courage, obedience, trust, perseverance, prayerfulness, compassion, faithfulness, chastity, the list of virtues born of faith in God, could go on and on to describe the foster-father of Jesus.
Cardinal Herbert Vaughan, the founder of the Mill Hill Josephite missionaries in England from which the American Josephites emerged in 1893, wielded considerable influence with Pope Pius IX to declare in 1870 St. Joseph’s universal patronage. (The Josephites continue to serve as pastors at Holy Family in Natchez.)
Cardinal Vaughan wrote profoundly that St. Joseph was a man for all times and seasons. “If you labor for your bread; if you have a family to support; if you endure privation and suffering; if your heart is searched by trials at home; if you are assailed by some importune temptations; if your faith is sorely tested, and your hope seems lost in darkness and disappointment; if you have yet to learn to love and serve Jesus and Mary as you ought, Joseph is your model, your teacher, and your father.”
At the conclusion of “Patris Corde” Pope Francis offers the following prayer for our edification and conversion, especially at this time when we anticipate the Solemnity of St. Joseph on March 19 in the heart of Lent.
Hail, Guardian of the Redeemer,
Spouse of the Blessed Virgin Mary.
To you God entrusted his only Son;
in you Mary placed her trust;
with you Christ became man.
Blessed Joseph, to us too,
show yourself a father
and guide us in the path of life.
Obtain for us grace, mercy and courage,
and defend us from every evil. Amen.

By Bishop Joseph R. Kopacz, D.D.
“Reform our lives and believe in the Gospel, remembering that we are dust and unto dust we shall return.” The admonitions with the distribution of ashes are a sobering reminder that this world presents many roadblocks on the path to life. We always hear one or the other as the ashes are placed upon us. Reform or remember!

Through the years I have often wished that we could combine the options in order to enter more fully into the death and resurrection of the Lord who reveals the wisdom of God in the Cross. Sin, sickness, suffering and death have cast a shadow over the human condition since the fall from grace, but it has been intensified over the past year through the pandemic. Enormous hurt and undying heart have been on display each day. Is this the paradox of the Cross, and an invitation to see with the eyes of faith that every day the Lenten call to pray, to fast, and to give alms drive the efforts of many?

This year’s journey through Lent can immerse us in the paradox of the Cross, and the power of the resurrection, perhaps in a way that we never have known. With St. Paul we proclaim to the world that “the message of the Cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to those who are being saved it is the power of God. To those who are called, Jesus Christ is the power of God and the wisdom of God.” (1Cor 1:18ff)

In his message on the world day of prayer for the sick this week for the feast of Our Lady of Lourdes, Pope Francis speaks to the rhythm of dying and rising at the foot of the Cross. “The experience of sickness makes us realize our own vulnerability and our innate need of others. It makes us feel all the more clearly that we are creatures dependent on God. When we are ill, fear and even bewilderment can grip our minds and hearts; we find ourselves powerless … Sickness raises the question of life’s meaning, which we bring before God in faith.”

In his world-wide gaze, Pope Francis repeatedly has called for a more just social order because “the current pandemic has exacerbated inequalities in our healthcare systems and exposed inefficiencies in the care of the sick. Elderly, weak and vulnerable people are not always granted access to care, or in an equitable manner.”

This is the agony of the Cross in our sin and suffering afflicted world. Yet, the Good News of Jesus Christ does not end in hopelessness but in the power of God in the words of our Holy Father.

“The pandemic has also highlighted the dedication and generosity of healthcare personnel, volunteers, support staff, priests, men and women religious, all of whom have helped, treated, comforted and served so many of the sick and their families with professionalism, self-giving, responsibility and love of neighbor. A silent multitude of men and women, they chose not to look the other way but to share the suffering of patients, whom they saw as neighbors and members of our one human family … Such closeness is a precious balm that provides support and consolation to the sick in their suffering. As Christians, we experience that closeness as a sign of the love of Jesus Christ, the Good Samaritan, who draws near with compassion to every man and woman wounded by sin.” This is the living icon of the presence of God in our world, and the view from eternity for all disciples baptized into the death and resurrection of the Lord Jesus.

“Unless the grain of wheat falls to the earth and dies, it remains just a grain of wheat, but if it dies it produces much fruit.” (John 12:24) It is never easy to die to sin and selfishness, but may our prayer, fasting and almsgiving unite us to the Lord’s Cross and resurrection as we allow the Gospel to turn ashes into grains of faith, hope and love during this Lent and always. “The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning, great is your faithfulness.” (Lamentations 3:22-23)

By Bishop Joseph R. Kopacz, D.D.
On this past Sunday of the Word of God, the third Sunday in Ordinary time each year, we heard the summons of the Lord Jesus to his first disciples, Peter and Andrew, James and John, a call that is ever ancient and ever new. “The Kingdom of Heaven is at hand; reform your lives and believe in the Gospel.” (Mark 1:14-20) Events unfold rapidly in the Gospel of Mark.
In the space of half of the first chapter, the reader is blessed to know that the Good News is about Jesus Christ, the Son of God, who is then baptized, tempted in the desert, and propelled into daily life announcing the Kingdom of God. This Good News is revealed at the Lord’s baptism when the voice from heaven lovingly proclaims, “you are my beloved Son in whom I am well pleased.”

Reforming one’s life is about hearing the Lord, following him along the path of life, turning away from sin, and allowing him to transform our hearts and minds. This is the work of lifetime, but the call to holiness of life is daily.
The heart of the Good News is that we embrace our own identity as beloved daughters and sons of God, the crown of creation, made in the image and likeness of our creator. “If God is for us, who or what can be against us,” as St. Paul who was grasped by Christ, boldly writes. (Romans 8:31)
As the church began to grow and spread throughout the ancient world, the early Christians, in the face of martyrdom, but with minds and hearts transformed, witnessed to an astounding new way of living. Indeed, they preached the Good News to the poor, fed the hungry, welcomed the stranger, cared for the sick and the dying, buried the dead, shunned violence, and rejected the Roman customs of infanticide and abortion. While worshipping the Lord who called them from darkness into his marvelous light, they also witnessed to a profound respect for life that grew organically form faith in their crucified and risen Lord.
In every generation then, the disciples of the Lord, the church, proclaim this Good News of salvation, the gift for time and eternity. Against the backdrop of so many violent protests throughout 2020, culminating with the protest that morphed into the disgraceful assault on the hallowed halls of government, today, January 29, marks the anniversary of the March for Life. Faithful pilgrims on behalf of life have marched peacefully for nearly five decades, 100s of thousands each year. Thank you, Pro-Life activists, for your witness on behalf of life, and these days, for your witness to the integrity of the first amendment of our constitution, upholding the right to assemble peacefully. America, please take notice on both counts. In conclusion, the 2021 statement for the March for Life to be held virtually, portrays a profound and comprehensive respect for life.
“The protection of all of those who participate in the annual March, as well as the many law enforcement personnel and others who work tirelessly each year to ensure a safe and peaceful event, is a top priority of the March for Life. In light of the fact that we are in the midst of a pandemic which may be peaking, and in view of the heightened pressures that law enforcement officers and others are currently facing in and around the Capitol, this year’s March for Life will look different. The annual rally will take place virtually and we are asking all participants to stay home and to join the March virtually. We will invite a small group of pro-life leaders from across the country to march in Washington, DC this year. These leaders will represent pro-life Americans everywhere who, each in their own unique ways, work to make abortion unthinkable and build a culture where every human life is valued and protected. We are profoundly grateful for the countless women, men, and families who sacrifice to come out in such great numbers each year as a witness for life – and we look forward to being together in person next year. As for this year’s march, we look forward to being with you virtually. “The Kingdom of Heaven is at hand, repent and believe in the Gospel.”

By Bishop Joseph R. Kopacz, D.D.
Emerging from the Christmas season we hope and pray that we are blessed in spirit in the knowledge that our faith in the Son of God “conquers the world” as we proclaimed in the scriptures on the feast of the Baptism of the Lord.

This metanoia is so much more than any and all new year’s resolutions that too often fold and crumple like discarded wrapping paper. Rather, it is a renewed perspective alive in the Spirit of God who hovers, enlightening our minds, hearts and imaginations in the awareness that we are God’s children now, beloved in a way that surpasses all understanding.

On that first Christmas night, the heavens were opened with the chorus of angels singing, “glory to God in the highest.” Years later they were torn asunder at the Baptism in the Jordan River by the voice of the God of eternal glory, revealing that this Jesus of Nazareth is the Christ of history and the beloved Son of the Father, the Word made flesh. “You are my beloved Son; on you my favor rests.”

In this time of raging pandemic, appalling civil strife and violence, and seemingly intractable rancor and division, where do we find the light and the power to live a life worthy of our calling as God’s children?

Look no further than to the Prologue of St. John’s Gospel, a Christmas day proclamation, which is resplendent with hope in the beloved Son of God, the eternal Word, for our unstable and disturbed times. “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things came to be through him, and without him nothing came to be. What came to be through him was life, and this life was the light of the human race. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.” John 1:1-5
Even now, the darkness has not overcome this divine life and light. Unfortunately, this vision for our lives can easily be lost in the assault of shadows, darkness and death.

Nonetheless, the Christmas season was a celebration of the light shining in the darkness, inviting us to renew our vision to see that God is with us, Emmanuel. The Incarnation raises us up to heaven’s door, and the Baptism of the Lord speaks of God’s full immersion in all things human, who lays aside his glory and humbly joins us in our sinfulness. Like the Blessed Mother, it behooves us to cherish the gift of faith in the manner she embraced the Christ child in her arms, pondering what this treasure means for our lives.
The mystery of our faith that conquers the world reveals to us that the wood of the manger is never separated from the wood of the Cross. The baptism of Jesus at the Jordan is inseparable from the crucifixion; his immersion in water anticipates his immolation on the Cross. It dawns upon us when we take these things to heart that the entire New Testament was written in the aftermath of the crucifixion and resurrection of the Lord through the overshadowing of the Holy Spirit.

How then does our baptism unite us to the beloved Son of God, the Light that shines in the darkness?
A passage that is often selected from Saint Paul’s letter to the Romans for the celebration of the sacrament of Baptism and at many funeral liturgies unfolds the mystery. “Are you unaware that we who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? We were indeed buried with him through baptism into his death, so that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might live in newness of life. For if we have grown into union with him through a death like his, we shall also be united with him in the resurrection. We know that our old self was crucified with him so that our sinful body might be done away with, that we might no longer be in slavery to sin.” (Romans 6:3-6)

Forgiveness of sin, growth in the Lord, no longer slaves to sin, fear and hopelessness, and newness of life are essential signs that we are living a life worthy of our calling. It is a humble awareness inspired by the Holy Spirit, cleansed by waters made holy, and blood poured out on the Cross, that we belong ultimately to God.

We are beloved sons and daughters of God grafted onto the living vine, the Body of Christ, the church. The love of Christ impels us to live our baptism, our vocation, our discipleship growing in the power of faith to know that we are God’s beloved children, fully immersed in this world, committed to greater justice and peace for all, and always leaving an opening for eternal life to hover close to our daily preoccupations and decisions.

By Bishop Joseph R. Kopacz, D.D.
“The Spirit and the Bride say, come! The one who inspires faith says, Yes, I am coming soon. Maranatha, come, Lord Jesus!” The Bible ends with these words from the Book of Revelation, or the Apocalypse, expressing the holy longing that we cultivate during this sacred season of Advent leading up to Christmas. These heartfelt words have been the prayer of the church every day for nearly 2000 years, a long stretch of time, for sure.
However, we heard from the letter of Peter last Sunday that “for the Lord one day is like a thousand years and a thousand years is like one day.” (2Peter 3:8) Since we are just about to begin the third day following the death and resurrection of Jesus there is no reason why this great mystery and drama of salvation should ever grow old. It remains ever ancient and ever new.

We pray for the grace of the hunger and thirst of St. Augustine during these Advent days. “Late have I loved you, O Beauty ever ancient, ever new, late have I loved you! You were within me, but I was outside, and it was there that I searched for you. In my unloveliness I plunged into the lovely things which you created. You were with me, but I was not with you.” (Confessions) It is a stretch to measure a millennium in our imagination, and it is incomprehensible to grasp eternity, but we can, and we must seize the opportunity that each day offers to rediscover the ancient and new grace of God in its manifold expressions.
In the moment, John the Baptist is our guide. Prepare the way of the Lord, are the words of the voice who echoes down the centuries. He, whose pulpit is the doorstep of the desert, clears the way for the eternal Word made Flesh. This is the Good News of Jesus Christ, the Son of God, the opening words of the Gospel of Mark from the second Sunday of Advent. Believing this, what sort of lives are we to live, brothers and sisters, is the question from St. Peter in his letter.
The answer to this eternal question is found in the gathering at the Jordan River where the people were coming to John the Baptist to confess their sins and to be baptized by him in the Jordan river. The first step forward in the knowledge of our salvation is the forgiveness of our sins. (Luke 1:76-77), as expressed in the Benedictus, the glorious prayer of Zacharias, the father of the Baptist. Returning to the letter of Peter again from last Sunday we hear that “the Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. Instead, he is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance… But in keeping with his promise we are looking forward to a new heaven and a new earth, where righteousness dwells.”
Biblical righteousness is grounded in reconciliation with God and getting it “right” with one another. The gift we receive is then given as a gift. (Matthew 10:8). In the midst of this distressing pandemic, the prophet Isaiah’s exhortation is compelling. “Comfort, comfort my people, says your God.” (40:1) So many people have lost so much throughout this past year. Righteous living inspires us to take many steps forward by giving comfort, by restoring hope, by providing support in whatever ways we can. To be reconciled with God is to unite heaven and earth. To create by God’s grace a “new heaven and a new earth” each day is within our power. Last Sunday’s psalm response conveys God’s vision and our goal. “Kindness and truth shall embrace; Justice and peace shall kiss! Truth shall spring from the earth, and justice will look down from heaven.” (85:10)
Indeed, we have been baptized with the Holy Spirit as John the Baptist prophesied at the Jordan River, an anointing and an indwelling that is the pledge of eternal life and the inspiration to build up the Kingdom of God today, and every day. In doing so we will have an impact for 1000 years. “Maranatha! Come, Lord Jesus!”