A Christmas of Hope

Dear Pilgrims of Hope, the Holy Year 2025 was solemnly inaugurated with the celebration of the Nativity of the Lord, the reason for our hope:

Like many of you, I watched the Opening of the Holy Door of St Peter’s Basilica (the first of the five doors of the Jubilee Year to be opened) live from Northern Italy, where I am assisting at a parish with the ministry of reconciliation (Confessions) and other pastoral activities which formed part of their preparations for Christmas and the New Year, and indeed, for the Holy Year.

I was struck by the aura of silence and the expectation of the pilgrims of hope who filed into the Basilica, prayerfully listening to the messianic prophecies of old, which set the tone for this Christmas of Hope. It seemed like the word hope was on the minds of all, and perhaps also the wonder with which the poor and lowly Shepherds made their way to the grotto of Bethlehem for that first Christmas (cf. Lk 2:15-20). 

Seeing the visuals of St Peter's Square, I could just imagine how cold it must've been. The newly installed lights, in time for the Jubilee, spoke of the light which hope brings to a darkened world, leading from the Piazza into the Via Conciliazione, and from there, to the city and to the world. Christ, our hope, has been born for us. There is hope for his flock scattered throughout the world. This hope is not some illusion but rather concrete, it has a name and a face, the Lord Jesus. St John the Evangelist, who gave us the language to speak about the mystery of the Word made flesh, puts it this way: 

‘What was from the beginning, what we have heard, what we have seen with our eyes, what we looked upon and touched with our hands concerns the Word of life - for the life was made visible; we have seen it and testify to it and proclaim to you the eternal life that was with the Father and was made visible to us - what we have seen and heard we proclaim now to you, so that you too may have fellowship with us; for our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son, Jesus Christ’ (1 John 1: 1-3).

The inaugurating ceremony preceding the Christmas Eve Mass, was simple, yet rich with symbolism typical of the Roman liturgy. The Gospel of John 10:7-10 where Jesus declares, ‘I am the door”, seemed appropriate for that long-anticipated moment. Jesus is the door of salvation and the Church, the universal sacrament of salvation, is open to all, signified in a powerful way by the opening of the Holy Door at one of the most famous basilicas of Rome. Despite his mobility challenges, Pope Francis became the first pilgrim to cross the threshold of hope, opening the Holy Door and thus solemnly initiating the Ordinary Jubilee 2025, a time of forgiveness and reconciliation.

Opening of the Holy Door
Photo Courtesy of Vatican News

The image of the Pope in front of the Holy Door in a wheelchair will remain iconic. In his first message of the Jubilee, the Pope spoke boldly about Christian hope: ‘With the opening of the Holy Door we have inaugurated a new Jubilee, and each of us can enter into the mystery of this extraordinary event. Tonight, the door of hope has opened wide to the world. Tonight, God speaks to each of us and says: there is hope also for you! There is hope for each of us’. 

The Holy Father also explained what the Jubilee is really about, reiterating the plea which he made in the Bull of Indiction: ‘The Jubilee calls us to spiritual renewal and commits us to the transformation of our world, so that this year may truly become a time of jubilation. A jubilee for our mother Earth, disfigured by profiteering; a time of jubilee for the poorer countries burdened beneath unfair debts; a time of jubilee for all those who are in bondage to forms of slavery old and new’. 

The Pope continued his homily dedicated to the theme of the Jubilee by declaring: ‘This is our hope. God is Emmanuel, God-with-us. The infinitely great has made himself tiny; divine light has shone amid the darkness of our world; the glory of heaven has appeared on earth. And how? As a little child. If God can visit us, even when our hearts seem like a lowly manger, we can truly say: Hope is not dead; hope is alive and it embraces our lives forever. Hope does not disappoint’!

It is providential that the Opening of the Holy Door was followed by the Holy Mass. At every Eucharist, Jesus, who humbled himself to be born in a stable, humbly descends onto the Altar, in the form of bread and wine, giving us hope for eternal life. St Francis of Assisi, who created the first Nativity Scene, was inspired by this sentiment and overwhelmed by this mystery. And this is why we celebrate the “Christ-Mass”. 

At the Holy Mass at Dawn on Christmas Day, I asked the Congregation to pray for all those who have lost hope...those who cannot see beyond the darkness of night to a bright new dawn; to think of the many people, especially children, who went to bed the previous evening not knowing whether they would survive the night; for those whom a day of celebration would be filled with suffering as a result of war, in this world of sin and strife, a world hungry for justice and peace, which only Christ can bring.

For the first time ever, in the 700-year tradition of Jubilee Years, a Holy Door was opened at Rebibbia prison, the largest in Italy, on St Stephen's Day (26 December). Donning a red cope, Pope Francis got up from his wheelchair and actually walked through the Holy Door of the prison chapel, later explaining the significance of this gesture – hope, like an anchor, is for everyone. 

In the coming days the remaining three doors will be opened by the Archpriests of the Papal Basilicas of St John Lateran, St Mary Major and St Paul outside the Walls. I am looking forward to passing through at least one of them in order to obtain the Jubilee Indulgence (which I wish to explore in my next blog entry). 

With open doors, and open hearts filled with compassion, every day can be a "little Christmas", bringing hope and joy to the world!

The Pilgrim

Fr Runaine James Radine

27 December 2024 

Feast of St John the Apostle and Evangelist

Cry Hope!

Dear Pilgrims of Hope, a reflection on the “Great O Antiphons” as we continue our countdown to the Jubilee 2025:

Liturgically, we are moving into the second part of Advent (17-23 December). By now you may have noticed that the first part of this season focussed on the end of time, when Christ will come again in glory, to judge the living and the dead. Over the next seven days, the focus will be on the first coming of Jesus, born of the Virgin Mary, in Bethlehem.

The Nativity Scene at the Vatican 2024
From Grado, a Lagoon Centre
in the province of Gorizia

Following an ancient tradition, the Church prepares in earnest for the Nativity of Our Lord with the “O Antiphons” (taking its name from the first word of the antiphons). It is most commonly found in the Advent Hymn appropriate for this time, "O come, o come, Emmanuel". You may also encounter these invocations in some format as the Gospel Acclamation at Mass every day this week. The “O Antiphons” are used in their original form by those who recite the Liturgy of the Hours, during Vespers (Evening Prayer), with the singing of the Magnificat, which was Our Lady’s song of praise to God, who had remembered his mercy (cf. Luke 1:46-55).

In a similar way, the “O Antiphons” bring together the hope of all the ages. These antiphons capture the longing for salvation of the People of God, by making reference to some Old Testament Messianic hopes, like that of Isaiah (11:1-3),

A shoot springs from the stock of Jesse…on him the spirit of the Lord rests, a spirit of wisdom and insight, a spirit of counsel and power, a spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the Lord. The fear of the Lord is his delight.

The “O Antiphons”, ever ancient, ever new, also express the deepest longings and desires of our own time, helping us to join that cry of the Church echoed throughout the ages, Maranatha! Come Lord Jesus!

Try repeating these antiphons quietly even outside the Liturgy, in a prayerful and meditative way, as part of your personal prayer this Advent, and discover again the reason for the season. In this way, we would be making a pilgrimage of hope to Christmas, as we await the birth of the Saviour, who always remains true to his promises.

The Pilgrim

Fr Runaine James Radine

17 December 2024

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The “O Antiphons”

Taken from https://www.usccb.org/prayers/o-antiphons-advent

 

December 17

O Sapientia!

O Wisdom of our God Most High,

guiding creation with power and love:

come to teach us the path of knowledge!

December 18

O Adonai! 

O Leader of the House of Israel,

giver of the Law to Moses on Sinai:

come to rescue us with your mighty power!

 

December 19

O Radix Jesse!

O Root of Jesse’s stem,

sign of God’s love for all his people:

come to save us without delay!

 

December 20

O Clavis David!

O Key of David,

opening the gates of God’s eternal Kingdom:

come and free the prisoners of darkness!

 

December 21

O Oriens!

O Radiant Dawn,

splendor of eternal light, sun of justice:

come and shine on those who dwell in darkness and in the shadow of death.

 

December 22

O Rex Gentium! 

O King of all nations and keystone of the Church:

come and save man, whom you formed from the dust!

 

December 23

O Emmanuel!

O Emmanuel, our King and Giver of Law:

come to save us, Lord our God!

Maranatha! Come Lord Jesus!

175 Years of Hope

Dear Pilgrims of Hope, I thought I’d interrupt my planned series of reflections on the upcoming Holy Year, to pay tribute to a special group of women religious, the Missionary Sisters of the Assumption.

Today marks 175 years since the arrival of the first group of nuns on South African soil, under the leadership of the 27-year-old Sr Gertrude de Henningsen (Read more about Mother Gertrude and the MSA, in the November Southern Cross). They were part of a rather new Congregation, the Religious of the Assumption, which had been founded 10 years earlier in Paris, France, by St Marie Eugenie. Their charism was the education of young girls while rebuilding the church following the French Revolution. Destined for Grahamstown (now Makhanda), where they would arrive on 15 December 1849, they became pioneering missionaries, having accepted the invitation of Bishop Aidan Devereux of the Eastern Vicariate of the Cape of Good Hope (now the Diocese of Port Elizabeth, Gqeberha). This was a rural farming district, culturally volatile and on the brink of a territorial war. The brave Sr Getrude decided to remain in Grahamstown against all odds. The Congregation would eventually break away from their Order in France, becoming the Missionary Sisters of the Assumption (MSA); their motto, “Thy Kingdom Come”. Mother Getrude is said to have encouraged the steady growing Congregation to give themselves unreservedly to God, becoming a docile instrument in his hands.

Crest of the MSA
(Courtesy: MSA Facebook)

Roughly 200 years before their arrival, the practice of the Catholic faith in South Africa had been prohibited successively under Dutch and British colonial rule. Now that the Catholic Church had been emancipated in the Netherlands, England and Ireland, and consequently in South Africa, the MSA came to support the local Catholics joining the missionary fervour of those early bishops and priests who were set on establishing the church here. They went on from their humble beginnings in Grahamstown to establish schools and provide health care in other parts of the diocese, as well as other parts of the country and even beyond, moving, as it were, along the route which the evangelising mission was tracing on the southern-most tip of Africa.

It is here where their connection with Schauderville deserves a mention. Following the displacement of many communities as a result of the Group Areas Act in the 1950s, the MSA moved into what would become the Northern Areas of Port Elizabeth. In fact, they were part of “Schauder Township” from its inception even before the church of St James was built. You can imagine the difficulties experienced by a group of mainly Irish women living among the people under the draconian Apartheid rule. They adopted a policy of non-discrimination, serving all people despite their race, class or creed. They served the community with devotion until they relinquished the convent to the expanding St Teresa’s Primary School. Together with St James High School, it stands as a testimony of their contribution to education in our country.

One should also acknowledge the role which our Diocese played in the expansion of religious life in the local church. Shortly after the arrival of the MSA, Bishop Devereux invited the Oblates of Mary Immaculate, who went on to evangelise large parts of the country. Later, Bishop Ricards would invite the Trappists (and perhaps even the Jesuits) to Dunbrody near Addo, who became the Mariannhill Missionaries under Abbot Franz Pfanner. Other Congregations of women religious, like the Dominicans, would follow suite. The group from Augsburg, Germany, would become the King Williams Town Dominicans. These were all missionaries of hope. 

I stumbled across a Mass of Thanksgiving live from St Augustine’s Cathedral while scrolling through Facebook a few of weeks ago. One of the sisters was sharing how Sr Gerturde and her companions gave thanks to God in that very place following a difficult journey of three months by sea. This is itself an image of the Church setting out on mission in the world, spreading the gospel of Jesus Christ, to the ends of the earth (cf. Mt 28:16ff). 

Some of the Sisters following the
Mass of Thanksgiving
(Courtesy: St Augustine's PE Facebook)

The MSA have always been a relatively small Congregation. Under the patronage of Our Lady assumed into heaven, they have adapted to the changes facing religious life today, opening the way for local vocations. They offer us a lasting example of faith and perseverance as we live out our own mission of hope in an age of despair.

 

The Pilgrim

Fr Runaine James Radine

3 December 2024

Memorial of St Francis Xavier, Co-Patron of Mission