Tradition dictates that each Jubilee is proclaimed through the publication of a Papal (or Pontifical) ‘Bull of Indiction’. The one for this year’s jubilee begins with these words:
‘SPES NON CONFUNDIT. “Hope does not disappoint” (Rom 5:5). In the spirit of hope, the Apostle Paul addressed these words of encouragement to the Christian community of Rome. Hope is also the central message of the coming Jubilee that, in accordance with an ancient tradition, the Pope proclaims every twenty-five years. My thoughts turn to all those pilgrims of hope who will travel to Rome in order to experience the Holy Year and to all those others who, though unable to visit the City of the Apostles Peter and Paul, will celebrate it in their local Churches. For everyone, may the Jubilee be a moment of genuine, personal encounter with the Lord Jesus, the “door” (cf. Jn 10:7.9) of our salvation, whom the Church is charged to proclaim always, everywhere and to all as “our hope” (1 Tim 1:1).’ A priest shared a beautiful story with me recently. He was asked to open his parish to large group of individuals who were displaced due to the recent floods. He had plenty of room in the parish center, but the building had no power. As the individuals set up their cots in different areas of the room, he noticed two gentlemen who parked themselves right next to an electric outlet and immediately plugged their phones. The priest approached them and jokingly said “If you have found a way to charge your phones, you must definitely be connected to a higher power than I am.” One of the men smiled and said, “Once power is restored, guess who will be the first to charge his phone?” What would happen if we all lived our lives with that kind of hope? I guess it depends on where we place our hope. Do we put our hopes in things that are passing, or do we place our trust in God? I remember watching a group of acrobats in the circus, trusting in each other before every jump. They trained and prepared, yet… at the bottom of it all was a safety net. That is for me an image of my trust in God.
The things we worry about, the things we are afraid of, they all dissipate when we truly think about how much God loves each and every one of us.
The question then is, do we believe this? Are we convinced, deep in our very core, of our identity as children of God? It is deeply grounded in this confidence that we can wait patiently for God. I do not know what the men in the parish center did while waiting for the power to be restored. Maybe they played cards or took a nap. I sincerely doubt they climbed the electric pole outside to fix the problem themselves. They knew the electric company was aware of their situation and someone would eventually come. They did all that they could, and a little bit more. They were ready with their plugged phones. Perhaps we can pray this year with that kind of hope. Trusting that God knows our needs, let us wait peacefully while remaining “plugged in” in our prayer. May he find us ready, attentive, filled with faith, hope, and love. The Holy Father closes his Bull with these words:
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 If we were traveling through a long tunnel, the halfway point would be the darkest. We can’t see where we came from, and we probably can’t see where we are heading. In the middle of that darkness, we might be tempted to go back to where we came from, to the old, the familiar, but then we spot it. A sign that says we’ve made it halfway! We’ve come this far, we just need a little encouragement to keep going. We pause, take a breath, and rejoice. We then take one more step in the right direction and we are now closer to the end than to the beginning. We can do this; no point going back now. We are halfway there! As I pause and think of the words “we are halfway there”, a song from the 80s pops into my head and sings, “Living on a prayer, take my hand…we are living on a prayer.” And just like that, a hit from the 80s (Bon Jovi), opens my eyes to the universality of this experience. We all know what it feels like to be in a dark place without a sense of direction, sometimes wondering if we are going around in circles. Are we even getting anywhere? Is there even a point in continuing to try? When our sins, our faults, our failings mock us saying, “Well hello there, welcome back my friend, why don’t you just stay here in this familiar place, why continue to fight? Look, you are the same you were two weeks ago, two months ago, two years ago.” And we begin to listen to the lies, and we think that all our efforts have brought us nowhere. But then we go to Mass and hear:
Indeed, He will come and save us. Every time we fall, every time we fail, every time we look away, He will extend His arm and invite us back to Him. If we stay close to the Sacraments, even in the dark halfway points of life, we will see the signs. We will be encouraged and strengthened as we live on a prayer.
The Third Sunday of Advent is Gaudete Sunday, the midpoint of the penitential season of Advent. We have spent two weeks preparing for Christmas, and we have two more weeks left of waiting. And at this point, Mother Church invites us to pause, take a breath, and REJOICE!
See how far you’ve come with the Lord walking right beside you. See all the graces He has bestowed on you and be confident.
Rejoice, and then keep going, because the Light of the World is coming, indeed, “the Lord is near” (Philippians 4:4).
By: Ivonne J. Hernandez  Hospitality is one of the charisms my husband and I share, both individually, and as a couple. People often tell us that they just feel comfortable in our home. As hosts, we do not get stressed out. We do not rush from the table to clean up; we don’t fuss over a spilled drink or a burnt side dish. Once our guests arrive, it is all about the time we share together. It is about telling stories while creating new ones. It is about living. It is about love. But hospitality begins way before anyone shows up--it begins with an invitation.
“What can I bring?” This is usually the first thing I hear right after someone accepts an invitation to join us at our home for dinner. Why is this? Some might say it is the result of social expectations--we are taught it is not polite to show up anywhere empty-handed. But I think there is more to this “almost” universal response. Like a great choir or symphony, our communities are more than just the sum of its parts. We are meant to participate, to belong. We are not extras in a film. Each one of us has something we bring to the table, be it the physical one or the metaphorical one. But we don’t get to choose what we need to bring. We need to know what is needed, what is required of us.
I heartily dislike potlucks. By a potluck I mean a table with a procession of slow cookers, each with a surprise dish behind every lid. The result? Dishes that do not go together piled next to each other on a plate. I prefer it when someone is directing, and the parts come together in beautiful harmony. A host can ask guests to bring something in particular. It is even better when they are asked to bring something they love to make--something they will be happy to share and feel proud of. The end result, rather than a collection of individual dishes, is a beautiful meal--a true celebration.
As Eucharistic people we have been called and invited to a banquet. The King of the Universe has prepared the table. Each one of us is invited to share of ourselves, but not haphazardly, without direction. We do not rely on luck for a well-balanced table. The Host knows our strengths and weaknesses and wants to weave us together for the great celebration. More than the sum of our parts, we bring our unique gifts to become a new creation. We share of ourselves and are satisfied in the great celebration.
You have received the invitation… Will you attend? What are you bringing? Oh, and bring a friend! There is always room at the table.
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AuthorsWe are Ivonne J. Hernandez, Rick Hernandez and Laura Worhacz, Lay Associates of the Congregation of the Blessed Sacrament, and brothers and sisters in Christ. 
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