LETTER OF BISHOP VLADIMIR FEKETE FOR ADVENT 2020

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LETTER OF THE APOSTOLIC PREFECT OF THE CATHOLIC CHURCH IN AZERBAIJAN, HIS EXCELENCE BISHOP VLADIMIR FEKETE FOR ADVENT 2020

My dear brothers and sisters,

I cordially greet each of you.

The coronavirus pandemic has complicated the life of the whole world, and now continues its negative impact on almost all areas of life of modern mankind. Unfortunately, our relations did not escape its influence. For quite a long time I have not seen many of you and have not had the opportunity to meet you in person. Therefore, I decided to address you through this letter.

First of all, I assure you that I keep each of you in my heart, I remember you, I pray daily for your spiritual and material needs, which in this difficult time can especially burden us, and, of course, for the health of each of you.

However, together with these warm, sincere words of affection, I would also like to offer you some reflections to strengthen your personal or family spiritual life. I hope that my suggestions will be helpful to you and help you to face the challenges of the ongoing pandemic. I am sure that even in the changed conditions of life, we will be able not only to strengthen, but also to make progress in our faith and spiritual life, which are the fundament of peace in our hearts and the guarantee of our happiness on earth.

Today, the First Sunday of Advent marks the beginning of a new Church Year. During the Advent period, the Church wants to help us revive in our minds some of the basic truths of human history and Divine Revelation. Advent invites us to think, first of all, about the difficult circumstances in which people have lived for centuries, having separated themselves from God by their sins; and at the same time about the hope of the coming of the Savior and the true Redeemer of the world which began to grow in the chosen Jewish people.

History repeats itself also today when the modern world, deceived by an evil spirit, suffers from many problems. Again and again, we are looking for something or someone to lean on to free us of the pain and fear in our lives. But we often do not realize that sometimes we ourselves are the cause of these sufferings, because we do not want to live as the Almighty God asks of us, and if we do realize our weakness, we do not ask Him for help.

Our contemporaries, deceived by numerous false prophets and false teachings, must hear the call of the ancient prophets and servants of God proclaiming the Truth – and this proclamation must also sound from our lips, from the lips of the faithful of this age. We are called today to help people by our word and by the example of our own lives to know the True God and the way which leads to Him.

We know very well how difficult this task is and how many obstacles are in the way. In order for us, faithful, to understand, accept and fulfill the Will of God in our lives, the Church invites us, especially during the Advent period, first of all to our own conversion.

A testimony of God is trustworthy only if it is offered under the inspiration of the Spirit of God: if every day in humble prayer man seeks God and obeys His will, if he strongly desires and tries to renounce evil, keep the commandments of God and flee false gods and false beliefs.

Dear brothers and sisters,

The circumstances of the pandemic have deprived us of many of our traditional means of spiritual life. We miss solemn services and meetings. Many people are suffering economically, spiritually and emotionally. However, it does not help if we simply grieve for what we have lost and what we cannot do. On the contrary, as faithful, we should use with even greater diligence the available spiritual means.

Scripture says that where sin increased, God’s grace overflowed all the more (Rom 5:20b). The Lord God is always with those who sincerely seek Him. And now, in this difficult period of history, He is waiting for us and is ready to give us His blessing, so that with His help, we can become a blessing for this world.

I invite you to rediscover and use, especially during Advent, these three, simple means:

  1. Revive daily personal prayer in the morning and evening and, if possible, the prayer of the whole family. I especially recommend to you meditation on God’s word, the prayer of the Rosary or other traditional Catholic prayers, through which we can learn from the Lord what He expects of us today and ask His grace for it.
  2. During Advent, organize your time so that you can visit the church at least once a week. Try to come at a time when our priests are ready to hear your confession, talk with you and give you Holy Communion.
  3. Some of us have tried to live this year as the year of the Word of God. We have found that the Word of God is living and effective, able to change our hearts, minds and habits and transform us into God’s witnesses in this world. Let’s continue to read the Bible during Advent as well, with a special focus on the Gospel of Luke.

Dear brothers and sisters,

I pray for you that you shall start just today with great confidence to use these three simple means that I suggest to you and that you will be constant in this throughout the whole of Advent.

If you succeed, I am sure that you will feel new spiritual strength and your inner transformation will be a gift for others as well.

Please receive my special blessing for this pre-Christmas journey: In the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Amen.

 

Your Bishop,   + Vladimir

 

Baku, 29.11.2020