Philadelphia, Pa., Dec 18, 2012 / 11:28 am
The message of Advent is applicable in today's world, especially in light of the school shooting in Newtown, Conn., Archbishop Charles J. Chaput of Philadelphia said in his Dec. 17 column.
"In these final days of Advent, the Church urges us to lift up our hearts and prepare to rejoice," he said. "There's nothing remotely naïve in this call to joy; the Church knows the harshness of the world far too well for empty pieties."
Even in the face of tragedy, such as the recent elementary school shooting in which a lone gunman killed his mother and 26 students and faculty at Sandy Hook Elementary School, Archbishop Chaput said that God is present.
When trying to comprehend the violence and evil that took place that day, people will ask how God could allow such suffering to exist in the world, the archbishop noted.