The first week of Advent is traditionally the date the Archbishop gives a pastoral message to be read out at the masses.
All human life must be shown respect
Published: 28 November 2010 (source: the Catholic Leader)
Archbishop John Bathersby: "We must ... be determined in our society to protect life at every level, instead of casually accepting attacks on life through abortion, surrogacy, the use of embryonic stem cells and the promotion of euthanasia, all for our own selfish benefit"
In his Advent pastoral letter for 2010, ARCHBISHOP JOHN BATHERSBY of Brisbane has particular focus on the precious gift of life and the need for us to re-focus on following the way of Jesus Christ
ADVENT is a time of preparation for the feast of Christmas. It is placed in the liturgy of the Church to remind us of the coming of Jesus to the world, as well as His impact on the Church and the world.
Advent opens up for us a new world in which we thrive because of the life, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Because of Jesus our world is now a radically new world in which evil can no longer triumph; justice, peace and freedom can flourish; and fullness of life can become possible for all people (John 10:10).
Despite His remarkably short life on earth Jesus taught us what life was meant to be through His life, death and resurrection.
Before all others He knew that the world created by God was meant to be a world full of goodness and love but failed because of sin. The world that Jesus desired was a new world based on love because God was love, and Jesus shaped the new world by love.
He loved all people rich, poor, young and old, saints and sinners, and encouraged us to do the same in our new world and make the world a better place filled with love.
By His actions Jesus proved for us that we are all children of God with a dignity that no one can ever destroy.
The new world that Jesus gave us through the power of the Holy Spirit did not reach fulfilment immediately, but depended upon our good works that would make the world what Jesus wanted it to be.
Human dignity
Sadly, from the very beginning, and still today, society can so easily abandon God and the dignity we have as children of God.
Human life was brought into existence to be respected but sadly such respect was not always practised in our new world where selfishness overlooked the dignity and importance of people, born or unborn, young or old, healthy or sick.
Today we live in a secular society where all too easily people separate God from His rules and regulations.
Recently on a visit to Scotland and England the Pope warned us about the evils that are present in a godless society.
He warned us again in Spain about the evil of abortion despite the dignity of each and every person.
He said, "Catholic social teaching has much in common with (the freedoms of England) in its overriding dignity of every human person, created in the image and likeness of God."
We must therefore be determined in our society to protect life at every level, instead of casually accepting attacks on life through abortion, surrogacy, the use of embryonic stem cells and the promotion of euthanasia, all for our own selfish benefit.
In these most important matters how can Christians casually accept or even vote for actions that are absolutely against the will of God?
In the year 2000 I travelled to Mt Sinai with 100 young pilgrims from Brisbane. Because of the heat we could only climb Mt Sinai at night with torches.
We climbed that holy mountain together and then waited for the sun to rise early in the morning. When it happened we cried together, not only because of the sunrise but because on that mountain God had given Moses rules and regulations for His chosen people including us, so that we would keep His Commandments and respect life according to God's desire.
Some of our tears were certainly caused by God's amazing love for us, but perhaps also by our casual regard for God's love.
Most of us try to avoid evil but in our heart of hearts we don't always succeed. In the world today we must once again listen to God instead of rejecting His wisdom as so many people do.
Once human life is considered merely something that can be accepted or rejected depending on our own comfort there is nothing to stop violence from being directed not only at the innocent beginning of human life, but also at children and old people, as we see all too often in our media and movies.
As Catholics we belong to a Church established by Jesus with rules and regulations given by God and meant to be taught and practised.
Those rules and regulations exist at the heart of our Church which can never be destroyed, because Jesus has made it to last forever through the power of the Holy Spirit.
Yet despite the evil that the Church has overcome down through history, and still does today, it has been able to control evil only by obeying God and His wisdom.
God and culture
Today most of us live in a western culture that is not always easy to understand. Science has certainly changed the world in many ways for the better.
Technology carried us to the moon, medicine has guaranteed a life that is longer and more comfortable, while communication and transport has brought all of us closer to one another.
Such changes have helped us, nevertheless despite those blessings, poverty and violence continue to increase beyond our control and generosity.
Why?
Because once again in our world it is so easy to neglect God and our need for worship and prayer.
It is because of this neglect of God that chaos flourishes and respect for human life diminishes. Jesus never overlooked the will of His Father as He reached out to heal and teach people, nor should we.
We cannot try to do good yet forget God, nor can we remember God, but not do good.
Balance was a feature of the life of Jesus just as it is needed in our lives as well. Surely the discipline of religion we once practised in the past, is needed more than ever today, if our world is to have as much balance as Jesus did.
Advent and Lent can help us to keep that balance in focus.
During Advent all of us need to reach out to Jesus who entered this world as a child in a manger.
Surely in this season of Advent we can recognise His entry and walk in His footsteps, just as our brand new saint, Mary MacKillop, walked in His footsteps to make Jesus and His vision the very centre her life, and ours also.
She told us that life is about love and that if we live in love then respect for human life in all its dignity will become the normal part of our world that it is meant to be.
Once again it is time for Catholics to listen to the Church's teaching, especially about human life, which is the very centre of our lives, not picking and choosing what we want, but what God wants and the Church does too.
Sadly, too many of us are ready to follow the world and forget what God and Jesus Christ want.
This Advent let our hearts be focused on Jesus, not on the materialism of the world. May Mary the mother of Jesus remind us again of her words at Cana of Galilee, "Do whatever He tells you".
Doing that is never easy, and yet following in the footsteps of Jesus is the only way for us and the world to find happiness in this world and Heaven in the next.
May God bless you always.
