on a very optimistic note. Jeremiah foretells that Judah shall be safe and Jerusalem dwell secure. Imagine that! Isn’t that the kind of news we long to hear today as the drums of war sound and more conflicts seem to arise? Won’t you love to hear that our airplanes, theaters, malls, and stadiums shall be safe and secure for us this coming Christmas season? Our desire is to be secure. Security, however, breeds complacency. Hence, Jesus warns in the gospel about the danger of growing complacent and letting our hearts become drowsy with carousing and drunkenness and the anxieties of life.
Several are counting down the days to Christmas and are already filled with the anxiety of what would be the best gift for XYZ, ideas for decorations, flamboyant flowers and Christmas trees. I was surprised how early the so-called Holiday commodities were rolled out in the shelves this year. While on my way back to the US a couple of weeks ago, I saw Christmas trees already displayed at Frankfurt Airport, Germany and Chicago O’Hare. And last Friday, I couldn’t help but marvel at the earnestness with which people were swooping on the cheap stuffs rolled out at the malls—all while complaining about how bad the economy is. We seem trapped. I plead for such earnestness in stocking our hearts and souls with valuable spiritual goods.
Our citizens love to buy new things and throw away old stuff. Every thrash pickup day, we gather our refuse into the refuse bins and bring them out to be thrown away by the thrash collectors. How much more beneficial it will be if we also bring out our old stock of sin, selfishness, arrogance, immorality, corruption, infidelity, injustice, discriminations and all sorts of filth inside us; disposing of them at the confessional, where, priest-thrash-collectors pick them up to thrash for us. But many are not in a hurry, because they hope to make it to confession before they die, not considering that, as you live your life, so you die. The story is told about two Catholics who discussed about salvation over a keg of beer. One said: “I’m making my confession on my deathbed, like the Good Thief.” His buddy replied, “There were two thieves on the cross; one guy didn’t make it to confession, even with the Supreme Chief Priest there. What makes you think you won’t be the second guy?”
Advent is the period for spiritual thrash removal. Several have piles of dirt on their souls; some have swept theirs under the carpet. The molds form into depressions and psychoses, which they pay psychiatrists to take away. As the number of those clinicians grows, so does the filth. These days, drug companies have jumped in, promising to take sin away with new brands of pill. The failure of the “sin-pills” to take away sins is seen in the number who call it quits and take their lives, and sometimes, the lives of other innocent people. Had they recognized that the Lamb of God, who comes to us this season as a babe is the only “sin-pill” available to humanity, they would have sought Him with zeal. But their hearts are coarsened, darkened and drawn away from the source of all good in their adventure to find life outside the author of life.
This Advent, the Holy Father inaugurates the Jubilee Year of Hope. What a great opportunity to renew our hope in God’s offer of transformation, which leads to abundant life in himself. This Jubilee Year, we are encouraged to make spiritual pilgrimages, either to Rome or some sacred site within our diocese. A special plenary indulgence will be received by all who make a Pilgrimage of Hope this year. Fortunately, our parish church has been designated as one of the pilgrimage sites for the diocese. We will offer more information on how we can take advantage of this opportunity to renew hope in our life and our community. Welcome to Advent! Happy New Year!
Fr. Chukwudi Jo Okonkwo