From the Pastor - First Sunday of Advent
From the Pastor – First Sunday of Advent - November 29, 2020
This First Sunday of Advent marks the beginning of a new liturgical year. All the readings during this period of waiting and anticipation concentrate on making us aware that it is time for us to awaken our lives as Christians. Jesus opens our Gospel Reading from St. Mark by saying “Be watchful! Be alert!” and closes it with an intense “Watch!”
For many Advent and Christmas are times of light, whether it is the light of the candles on Advent wreaths or the lights on a tree or the festive lights which decorate many houses and businesses. Jesus brings light into our worlds, but we must allow this light to permeate our own lives, to enter into the dark and sinful parts of our lives to illuminate and cleanse them.
This should be a time of renewed prayer and penance which truly prepares us to “watch” for the Lord, not just at Christmas but throughout our lives. There is a natural wonder among children at this time of year, but sometimes as we age, we lose that sense as if we are sleeping. It is time to awaken. Our minds may say “Let go” but our spirituality tells us to “Awaken.” We are filled with spiritual depths. It is time to seek them, find them, and awaken them. It is Advent, time for us to awaken and become aware of the gifts of love we have received from God and others. Or as Jesus reminds us: “Watch.”
Pastoral Pondering – I must admit that I have been looking forward to the beginning of Advent because I know that its arrival would mean that 2020 was almost over! It is hard to feel that way, but this year has been a trial for everyone in one way or another. Advent, however, gives us a chance to begin again to walk with the Lord and to prepare our hearts for His coming.
Of course, even new beginnings in the liturgical calendar cannot completely separate us from the realities around us. Hence, I wanted to address a topic that is apparently on the minds of quite a few folks, since I have received multiple questions on it. It is the question of vaccines and what the Church teaches about them. As with so many things in society today, this issue has been overly politicized which often leads to polarization.
First, let me say, that I am not a moral theologian. However, we can take some guidance from various Church teaching in this regard. More often than not, in a given situation, the Church will always be concerned about the common good. This was certainly the case with most of the original COVID protocols. Vaccinations are included under this umbrella. Certainly, the Church is opposed to those vaccines whose development depends on fetal cell lines and calls Catholics to demand ethically developed vaccines. The drug companies will generally seek the path of least resistance, so if there is an outcry against using fetal cells, in all likelihood that would garner some attention by the producers.
Secondly, if there are not ethically developed vaccines, the Church would still allow for their use since the cooperation with the objectively evil element, use of fetal cells, is fairly remote. In the end each person (or parents in the case of children) have to make these determinations based on their own research and consciences. In general, however, the Church is not opposed to vaccines and, in fact, would encourage their use in order to promote the common good while at the same time recognizing that receiving a vaccination can be morally allowed; however, it cannot be morally required.
Finally, it seems almost everything this year has been characterized by division and mistrust. Sadly, some of it is probably justified on a number of levels on both sides of any issue. However, as we begin a new liturgical year, perhaps we can also begin to come together as brothers and sisters in the Lord who are all looking to make it to heaven.