Advent: A Journey of Renewal and Hope

With the First Sunday of Advent, we begin a new liturgical year. It presents Christians with the vision of renewal and the possibility of beginning a new journey as the People of God with Jesus Christ our Shepherd, who guides us through history toward the fulfillment of the Kingdom of God. In this time of Advent, we can rediscover the purpose for all humanity, that of being on a path of pilgrimage: the Church, with her vocation and mission, and all peoples, civilizations, and cultures, all journeying across the paths of time to encounter God. Advent prepares us for the eternal encounter with God which was first revealed in the fullness of time through the birth of Christ.
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Advent can be a time of renewal to rediscover the meaning of our lives, so also for the human family, to rediscover the common horizon that we are journeying toward. The horizon of Hope! The season of Advent restores this horizon of hope, it is a hope which does not disappoint since it is founded on God’s word.

Advent is also a time to renew our longing and anticipation that God will do what the prophets have promised … to see that our desire for our salvation is here and now. Pope Benedict / Cardinal Ratzinger once wrote: “The purpose of the Church’s (liturgical) year is continually to rehearse her great history of memories, to awaken the heart’s memory so that it can discern the star of hope. It is the beautiful task of Advent to awaken in all of us, memories of goodness and thus to open doors of hope”.
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Since the start of our diocesan pastoral renewal over a year ago we have invited all of our parishes to open their doors as a local Church to the vision that, “You are called, you matter, and you belong.” It is intended to awaken the heart’s memory of all the People of God in the Diocese of Calgary to their baptismal dignity and mission.  To re-awaken a faith in Christ and the Church through a personal encounter of listening to the Word of God, to enter into a dialogue of faith through Conversation in the Spirit with other pilgrims that is focused on the three priorities of Renewal – forming missionary disciples, being a Church of encounter and witness, and strengthening family life.

This year we are offering a common diocesan Advent Mission for all parishes. Beginning this week (Dec 3-5, 2024) there will be three successive evenings of reflection given by three different presenters – Brett Powell, Bishop Scott McCaig, and Mary Rose Bacani Valenti. These reflections are designed to focus us on our three diocesan renewal priorities and actions. Each evening they will be followed by a parish in person gathering that will invite those who have participated into a personal encounter of dialogue with others to listen to how the Holy Spirit may be calling individuals and parish communities to a path of Renewal and conversion.

Advent is a time of preparation for Christmas. This diocesan mission can prepare our hearts to be renewed in both the experience and witness of our faith as individuals and also parish communities. The horizon of Renewal in the diocese must be founded on this experience of faith, of an encounter with Christ, which will open the doors of hope that will be celebrated with the universal Church in the upcoming Jubilee Year of Hope 2025. This encounter with Christ through the efforts of our diocesan renewal must be manifested in the joyful hearts of missionary disciples, parishioners who through their witness of faith will be the living signs of our pastoral renewal.
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In Evangelli Gaudium, “Joy of the Gospel,” Pope Francis reminds us that “the joy of the Gospel fills the heart and lives of all who encounter Jesus. With Jesus Christ joy is constantly born anew.” In the Scriptures the word “joy” is used to express a multitude of personal and collective experiences. In the Old Testament it was the most common term used to identify and recognize the very presence of God. The Psalms recount the peoples experience of joy at the nearness of God. In John’s Gospel, joy is also the messianic gift that Jesus desired for his disciples, “that the joy that he experienced in the presence and nearness of his Father would be with his disciples and that their joy would be complete.”  In Luke’s Gospel the experience of joy proceeds the birth of Christ, that it is expressed by the angels and the shepherds.
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It is this same joy that accompanies the spread of the Good News. We who are called to proclaim this wonderful mystery of the Good News should be transformed. Our life of faith and witness of service to others, must reflect a heart that is constantly renewed by both hope and joy. In this upcoming season of Advent, may the transformation of our hearts prepare us for Christmas, but also become a tangible sign of Renewal in our diocese.

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Written by Most Rev.  William T. McGrattan, Bishop of Calgary
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​Dec 2, 2024