Yet, I know this season can also be difficult for some people. They carry the burden of loneliness or illness. Others struggle financially, wondering how they will provide even the necessities for their families. Those grieving the loss of a loved one may feel that absence more deeply when an empty chair stands at the holiday table. Still others are rejected, unwelcomed. More than a few people in our own nation have no home in which to celebrate.

As followers of Jesus Christ, we are called to open our hearts to these hurting brothers and sisters. And if you are among those struggling this year, you can hold on to this truth: God loves you. The fact is, the gift of faith does not spare us every hardship. Still, with God we can persevere with hope. That is hope that we can share; a blessing we can offer to others.

Most of us are familiar with Job. A faithful servant of God, he enjoyed a life filled with many blessings. Then, in a series of devastating calamities over a very short time, he lost his possessions, his children and eventually his health. What he didn’t lose was his relationship with God.

His faith was tested, but he continued to turn toward God with trust. After his first terrible losses, he proclaimed: “The Lord gave and the Lord has taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord!” (Jb 1:21)

Job’s faith did not remove his pain or give him easy answers. He struggled to understand. Eventually, he came to recognize that God’s wisdom reached far beyond his own. God could see what Job could not. God was God, and Job was not.

We, too, will know disappointment, loss, illness and uncertainty at different times in our lives. Difficult questions can rise from our hearts: Where is God? Why is this happening? What did I do to deserve this? Why do my prayers seem unanswered?

Job reminds us that faith leaves room for those questions. Faith means continuing to walk with God even when we cannot clearly see the path ahead.

God lifts us when we fall, gives us hope when we despair and comforts us in our sorrow. In Jesus, his only begotten Son, God has opened the way from death to life for us. In the words of Jesus, “Do not be afraid; just have faith.” (Mk 5:36)

As Advent approaches, take a moment to reflect on the blessings God has entrusted to you, especially the gift of faith. Give thanks. Then consider how you might become a sign of God’s love for someone else.

Call someone who is lonely. Invite a neighbor to your table. Help a family in need. Listen to someone who is grieving. Pray for those whose burdens you cannot see.

And if you are the one in pain this year, allow others to care for you. You do not have to carry everything alone. Keep turning toward the Lord. Never give up hope in him. Have faith!

Above all, as we prepare for this holy time of year, let us welcome the greatest gift ever given to us: Jesus Christ, Emmanuel, “God with us.” He is the way that leads to our final goal. Salvation from all that can harm us, even death itself. That’s the promise that God will keep for those who put their faith in him.

May the Lord bless you and your loved ones this Advent and Christmas season, and may his peace dwell in your hearts. 

Your brother in Christ,

Most Rev. Edward C. Malesic

Bishop of Cleveland