Faith

Friday, November 28, 2025Faith

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When we see the depth of God's love and recognize the magnitude of His grace, it is right to turn away from sin and towards the light of Christ.

Archbishop Richard G.
Henning

On the First Sunday of Advent, in the passage from the Gospel of Luke, Jesus predicts apocalyptic events that will signal His return at the end of time. While the phenomena He describes are frightful, the fact of His return is not. The New Testament books make it clear that the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus are the climax of the human story. In the Christ event, the battle has already been waged and won. Reality has been transformed, and new possibilities are opened to humanity.
Fundamentally, human beings now have the possibility of a restored relationship with God -- not by our own merits -- but by the grace of Christ. The New Adam has bridged the tragic gap that opened between God and Man in the garden. At the same time, the New Testament acknowledges that the story has not yet concluded. The Lord has yet to return in judgment at the end of time. Meanwhile, human beings dwell in an "in-between" time, where grace abides, but sin remains. The crucial factor here is human free will -- our capacity to welcome and live by the grace offered to us or to turn stubbornly away from the path to life. This in-between time is grace insofar as it gives us time to prepare for and come to the Lord. The message is not one of doom and gloom; the Scriptures are ever a testimony to hope. The intervention of the Lord is never to be feared because it will always be to our good.

The Apostle Paul also gives us good guidance as Advent begins. Paul writes to the Thessalonians about their struggle of faith in difficult times. He reminds them that time is short and that they must be prepared for the Lord by living as the Lord has taught them. Paul is tender in his hope that they will use their freedom to embrace the call to holiness of life.
Over the last year, I have repeatedly encountered communities where people are returning to the practice of the faith. My own faith has been reinforced and my hopes kindled to see so many who are hearing God's Word and responding with trust in the Lord. One of the key elements of this revival is the realization of our need for the Lord and His mercy.
As I reflect on these powerful readings for the beginning of Advent, I feel moved to speak of penance. When we see the depth of God's love and recognize the magnitude of His grace, it is right to turn away from sin and towards the light of Christ. This whole season is itself a preparation for welcoming the Lord into hearts made new by His gift.
I have asked the priests of the archdiocese to bring this truth to their own reflection and preaching. When I was just an infant of one year, the Church changed the rules for meatless Fridays. At the time, the American bishops reminded the faithful that the elimination of the requirement of this penitential practice did not mean the elimination of penance on Friday, the day of the Lord's passion. The bishops encouraged people to continue the practice voluntarily or to find some other form of self-denial.
As we begin Advent and the new liturgical year, I have decided to embrace the practice of abstaining from meat on Fridays throughout the year. I do so in the hope of reflecting on God's mercy and seeking the grace to respond in humility and trust. I encourage you to find some way to remember the Lord's sacrifice on Fridays. Perhaps you might consider "fasting" from screens or giving up some small luxury. Maybe you might find a way to do some act of kindness or generosity.
Here in the "in-between," the Spirit of the Lord is moving, and many are coming home to the Lord's Sacred Heart. It is the perfect moment to deepen our trust -- to prepare our hearts with humility, self-denial, and acts of love.

- Archbishop Richard G. Henning is the Archbishop of Boston