Pastoral Letter Advent 2006 |
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My dear people of the Diocese of Rockhampton from the remote rural communities, to those on the coast - from the bush to the sea : I send to you my warmest greetings as I offer my Pastoral letter for the Season of Advent, beginning this weekend. I hope you will find this new way of sharing my message helpful, as I want to address these words to you personally as your Bishop. Christmas has often been thought of as a children’s feast. It’s a time when we introduce children to the great mystery that Jesus brought God down to us. But, we cannot stop here. If we do, we’ve told our children only half of the Christmas story. We must go a step further. We must teach them why Jesus brought God to us. It was to teach us that we, too, must bring God to others. It is about that call ‘to bring God to others’ that I wish to focus during this Season of Advent, leading up to Christmas and onto the Year 2007. I have designated 2007 as our special “Year of Evangelisation”. Evangelisation has been described by the late Pope John Paul II “to live, celebrate and share the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ, which is the Good News that God loves us”. Evangelisation has been happening for 2000 years and we have so much to be proud of in this Diocese in the almost one hundred and twenty-five years of its history. Yet, there is a call to renew our efforts and that is what I am asking you to share with me in 2007. Evangelisation should begin with ourselves – am I living, celebrating and sharing the news that God loves me? I believe that the busyness of our lives, the burdens that come our way and the simple passing of the years can diminish our awareness of just how close God is to us, and in how many ways God shows love for us. here do we begin to sharpen our focus on God’s love for us, God’s call to us? I am convinced it is in prayer. It is reasonably easy to know about God, or Jesus, or the Holy Spirit. But, to really know God, we must speak directly and that is what prayer is. We may just think about God and be still in God’s presence. We can praise, thank and ask favours of our God, it is all prayer and that’s where a fresh reconnection must begin. I would like to ask you to pray with me, and everyone throughout our Diocese, everyday at MIDDAY, beginning today. We may be at work, or at home, you may be retired, or at school, but I am simply asking you to pause for a few seconds, a minute or two, or five, just to link with God in prayer. What prayer will we say?
It could be in your own words or thoughts, just silently offered to a listening God What do we pray for?
We might also pray for our particular intentions –
As we prepare for Christmas, we seek to understand the impact of Jesus coming to the human family, and what it means for us personally. God so loved the world – His people – that He sent His own Son as Saviour and friend to all”. Advent is an invitation to reflect on this, through family prayer, reading the Scriptures, Christmas Carols and the preparing of the crib, and, in general, focussing on the gift the Jesus is. Perhaps we could fit in a weekday Mass, a Rosary, which tells the story of Jesus Life, share in the Sacrament of Reconciliation or take up some reading to nourish our faith. Making the time is often the greatest challenge, yet we do need to take charge of our lives and establish our own priorities rather than let busyness dictate. I would like to invite you to plan your family celebration of Christmas around the many Masses that will be offered. Invite especially, family members and friends who are not worshipping regularly, to join with you in celebrating Christmas Mass. Sometimes, people are waiting for an invitation or looking for company so that they will not be alone. for this year of Evangelisation, I would like to offer to all who will be coming to our Christmas Masses, my Christmas card which will invite all to renew their connection with Jesus and to let the Good News of God’s love become a light to follow. Finally, may I point out that one of the challenges of Jesus to us was that we should share the Good News of God’s love with others. That too is the last phrase of our Diocesan Vision Statement which is: As a community of believers We are called to be givers of the Good News to others, not just receivers and that is the second part of our call. After firstly rediscovering, re-establishing our link with God, we then take up the call, the challenge, to let others find God through us. It may be a little daunting at times, yet, it is also a privilege to show another the face of Jesus. There are many people hungering for Good News to live by. Jesus says “I am sending you to them, do not be afraid, I am with you”. So our question is “what do I do, gently and respectfully, to lead another to God and help them to see that God really does love them. So my dear friends, thank you for receiving this message. Thank you to our priests and parish leaders who have made this possible. I deeply appreciate what each one of you is doing already, to live and share the Good News of Jesus, this is evangelisation and it is already happening. I feel very privileged to work with you, as your Bishop, and I simply ask that we release the Spirit of God within each of us. That Spirit will enable us to give of ourselves as friends and co-workers of Jesus and let our light, our generosity, our enthusiasm shine, for others to see. We can do no more and the Lord will do the rest. It is a work of God this evangelisation and we can be the privileged instruments to bring God to others. I invite you to journey together with our Diocesan family . May Advent be a time of grace, Christmas be filled with peace, and 2007 a year to fan into flame the gift of faith so that our hearts will be on fire with the love of Jesus. May God bless you all. Yours sincerely + Brian Heenan Advent 2006 |