Pope Francis waves to the crowd as he leads the Angelus from the window of his studio overlooking St. Peter’s Square at the Vatican Nov. 27, 2022. (CNS photo/Vatican Media)
OFFICE FOR SOCIAL MINISTRY
“Your Lord is coming” (Mt 24:42). This is the foundation of our hope, it is what supports us even in the most difficult and painful moments of our life: God is coming, God is near and is coming. Let us never forget this! The Lord always comes, the Lord visits us, the Lord makes himself close.” (Pope Francis, Angelus reflection, First Sunday of Advent 2022)
Every year on the first weekend after Thanksgiving, we are inundated with messages to “buy this or that” on Black Friday … or to “give to this or that” non-profit on Giving Tuesday. But for Christians, it signals the beginning of Advent and a time to focus on the coming of Christ.
In Pope Francis’ Angelus message on the First Sunday of Advent this year, our Holy Father called us to not get caught up in the material distractions of the season; but instead reflect more deeply on ways to prepare for the coming of our Lord by asking ourselves the following questions: “How will the Lord come? And how will we recognize and welcome Him? Yes, we know that the Lord is coming but we do not live according to this truth, or we imagine that the Lord will come in a spectacular way, perhaps through some miraculous sign.”
Our Holy Father reminds us that the profound hope of the Advent message is simply that God is always with us. “God is hidden in our life, he is always there — he is concealed in the commonest and most ordinary situations in our life. He does not come in extraordinary events, but in everyday things; he manifests himself in everyday things. He is there, in our daily work, in a chance encounter, in the face of someone in need, even when we face days that seem grey and monotonous, it is right there that we find the Lord, who calls to us, speaks to us and inspires our actions.”
While it is easy to get distracted and overwhelmed by daily tasks and responsibilities, Pope Francis urges us to always be ready with eyes wide open. “Brothers and sisters, in this time of Advent, let us be shaken out of our torpor and let us awaken from our slumber! Let’s try to ask ourselves: am I alert, am I awake? Let us remain vigilant! Waiting for the Lord to come, waiting for the Lord to come close to us, because he is there, but waiting alert.” As the pope ended the Angelus, he offered a special prayer intention for the soul of a homeless man named Burkard Scheffler, who froze to death a few days before while seeking shelter under the colonnade of St. Peter’s Square.
He also recognized the migrant pilgrims present that Sunday from all parts of the world such as Warsaw, Granada, Romania, East Timor, Ecuador and urged all to say no to war and violence; yes to dialogue and peace. While the faithful gathered to hear the pope’s message, the famous “Angels Unaware” boat sculpture of migrants and refugees in the middle of the plaza stood as a silent reminder that indeed angels are all around us in people seeking a better future.
Here in Hawaii, the media covers many stories about Thanksgiving meals for homeless men, women and families. But in the days and weeks after, how often do we pass people on the street and not acknowledge or even become annoyed by their presence during Advent? Yet they too are God’s messengers — angels unaware — who like migrant pilgrims are in Hawaii seeking some relief from difficult times.
Or what about all the other foreign migrants in our midst — working in grocery stores, restaurant kitchens and hotels? Cooks, waiters, dishwashers, cleaning persons — or the bus drivers, taxi drivers, hospital workers. The list is limitless of unrecognized persons who share our humanity and vulnerabilities. They are opportunities to recognize and experience the presence of God every day and especially this holiday season as we prepare to welcome Christ, as a vulnerable newborn in a manger surrounded by his homeless, migrant family. Indeed, the Lord is coming. He is near. He is in our midst. Emmanuel — God with us.
For the full text of Pope Francis’ Advent angelus reflections and many ways to collaborate in encountering Christ in accompanying and serving with vulnerable persons here in Hawaii (e.g. through Catholic Charities Hawaii, HOPE Services, St. Francis Healthcare, and parish outreach programs ) please visit the Office for Social Ministry website, officeforsocialministry.org.
And let us remember and repeat the concluding prayer of Pope Francis’ Angelus Advent reflection, “May the Holy Virgin, woman of waiting, who knew how to perceive the passing of God in the humble and hidden life of Nazareth and welcomed him in her womb, help us in this journey of being attentive to wait for the Lord Who is among us and passes by.”
Mahalo,
Your friends at the Office for Social Ministry
