Gaudete in Domino, semper; iterum dico, gaudete! Dominus enim prope est.
Rejoice in the Lord always; I say it again, rejoice! Indeed, the Lord is near.
The above verse from St. Paul’s letter to the Philippians (4:4-5) is the Entrance Antiphon on the 3rd Sunday of Advent (and, coincidently, the motto of Bishop Stephen Parkes). Holy Mother Church bids us – Rejoice! For the Lord is near!
His coming foretold by the prophets, prepared for by Moses and the Law, David and the kings of Israel, and proclaimed by John the Baptist approaches quickly! The whole world awaits His appearance on earth! Our salvation is at hand! The Kingdom of God is among us! God is with us! Excitement builds as we barrel towards Christmas! There may be some trepidation because we haven’t finished our shopping yet (perhaps we just wrap IOUs in big boxes!). Plans are being set. The house is being decorated. Special Advent Music is playing. The wait is coming to an end soon!
JUBILEE OF HOPE
Beginning on December 24th with the opening of the Holy Door at the Basilica of St. Peter in Rome, the Jubilee of Hope begins! Every 25 years (except for years of calamity and war), the Church has proclaimed a Jubilee. The Southern Cross has an excellent article on what that means (FYI, the article was written by a St. James parishioner). During this Jubilee of Hope, our Holy Father is asking us to reflect on what it means to be on a Pilgrimage of Hope with all our brothers and sisters in faith.
One of the first things we will do to celebrate this Jubilee as a parish will be to provide a book on prayer for every adult in the parish. This book is written by Bishop Robert Barron and presented by Word on Fire Ministries. What better way to enter into a Jubilee than to strengthen our life of prayer? We are thinking of other ways we can celebrate this year including pilgrimages to different places in the Diocese of Savannah and perhaps doing some things at the Chapel of Our Lady of Good Hope throughout the year. Stay tuned for more ways to celebrate this Jubilee!
It is also a Jubilee for our Diocese of Savannah! We celebrate our 175th anniversary of being a Diocese! The Jubilee days will begin on Corpus Christi Sunday (June 22nd) and end on the date of erection of our Diocese of Savannah (July 19th). These three weeks will be celebrated by different things throughout the Diocese and end with a couple days of celebration at the Cathedral Basilica here in Savannah. Be on the lookout next year for more information!
St. James the Less, pray for us.
May this final week of Advent be a week of joy and peace, so you can prepare yourself for the exciting and solemn celebration of the Birth of our Savior and Lord Jesus Christ!
~ Fr. Daniel Firmin