Choosing Hope: The USCCB meetings, Thanksgiving, and Advent

BISHOP KEVIN J. SWEENEY

“… Always be ready to give an explanation to anyone who asks you for a reason for your hope …”
1 Pt 3:15

This past week, from Nov. 14–17, the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) held their semi-annual “General Assembly” in Baltimore, Md. The “fall meeting” is always in Baltimore, and the June meeting is held in a different part of the country each year. This year’s General Assembly was my third “in-person” meeting. The first two meetings I “attended” in November 2020 and June 2021 were held “virtually” on Zoom because of the COVID-19 pandemic. The two virtual meetings were difficult for several reasons, due to the limitations of the electronic format, but also because they included some challenging topics, especially a discussion on a document intended to promote our appreciation for the “gift and mystery” of the “real presence” of Jesus in the Eucharist.

At this time last year, I shared my experience of being inspired by the “in-person” meeting last November and by how the bishops came together, beginning with prayer, to find consensus and unity. Every third year, the “June meeting” is more of a retreat than a business meeting. I have shared what an uplifting experience it was for me to be united with my brother bishops in prayer, reflection, and fraternal dialogue in San Diego this past June. I can now say that I am “3 for 3” in having a positive experience at the General Assemblies I have attended in person. I presume many readers may already be aware of some of the topics and business items discussed in this most recent meeting. For more details, go to the USCCB website.

After attending the meetings, I am more aware of some of the challenges we face as a Church. On a national level, not only is there a lack of either faith or understanding amongst Catholics, especially in what we believe about the “real presence” of Jesus in the Eucharist, but there is also a continuing decline in weekly Mass attendance. Yet, there is also a vibrancy and optimism amongst the bishops as a group. There are some very tangible reasons for hope, such as World Youth Day with Pope Francis in Lisbon, Portugal, this coming summer of 2023 and the three-year National Eucharistic Revival — click here for more information.

I also got the sense that so many of the bishops have a hopeful outlook because of experiences similar to my own here in our diocese. I can see so many reasons to be hopeful because of the vibrancy of the Church in the Diocese of Paterson. Especially as we continue to emerge from the pandemic, there is a tangible feeling and a great deal of evidence that the Church is alive and growing. One major “takeaway” from being with the bishops last week is that there is a very real hope sustaining the Church, despite all our challenges. That hope comes from a trusting faith that the Holy Spirit continues to lead and guide the Church, the “mystical Body of Christ.”

As I returned from the USCCB meetings and we enter the week when, as a country, we will celebrate Thanksgiving Day and, as a Church, we will enter a new Liturgical Year on the First Sunday of Advent (Nov. 27), I find myself reflecting on what it means for us to be “people of hope.” We know that St. Paul teaches us, “… so faith, hope and love remain, these three, but the greatest of these is love …” (1 Cor 13:13). Gratitude or “giving thanks” is something that we should strive to practice every day. Thanksgiving Day certainly reminds us that we need to pause and give thanks, especially to God, for the gifts and blessings of every day: life, family, food, and the freedoms that we enjoy in this country, even as we are aware of and are concerned for those who “go without.” Giving thanks daily can help us be more “hopeful” and more charitable as individuals, families, and communities. Even when we face sad or difficult times, if we can remember to “count our blessings” and give thanks, we can persevere and remember the “reasons for our hope.”

In the Second reading, from St. Paul’s Letter to the Romans, which we will hear at Mass on the First Sunday of Advent, there is a beautiful and challenging message and invitation to be people of hope:

“… Brothers and sisters: You know the time; it is the hour now for you to awake from sleep. For our salvation is nearer now than when we first believed; the night is advanced, the day is at hand. Let us then throw off the works of darkness and put on the armor of light …”
Rm 13:11–12

Each year, the Season of Advent is or (hopefully) can be a true Season of “hope-filled expectation” as we, together with the whole Church, prepare to celebrate the birth of Jesus at Christmas. From the symbolism of the candles on the Advent Wreath, to the readings and prayers at daily and Sunday Mass, to the opportunity to reflect on the “true meaning of Christmas,” the Season of Advent is both an invitation and an opportunity for each of us to journey with Mary, our Blessed Mother, and St. Joseph, on the spiritual “road to Bethlehem.”

This year, because Christmas (Dec. 25) falls on a Sunday, we have a full four weeks for the Season of Advent. Some years, as will be the case in 2023, when Christmas falls on a Monday, the Season of Advent is only three weeks in length. So, I encourage everyone to make the most of the full advent Season that is quickly approaching and, for many, will pass by just as quickly. If we make this Advent Season a time of prayer, reflection, gratitude, and generosity, then we will surely be ready to give an explanation to anyone who asks us for a reason for our hope.