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‘God comes to us in different ways,’ Cardinal stresses
Cardinal Thomas Collins will host this year’s Daily TV Mass Advent retreat.
Register file photo
November 20, 2024
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As Advent draws near, the National Catholic Broadcasting Council through its Daily TV Mass program is preparing its online Advent Retreat, offering daily reflections throughout the season of preparation to the faithful.
This year, Cardinal Thomas Collins will be celebrating the retreat as he reflects on various topics that hold significance to the start of our liturgical year. Through video format, Collins will tackle a different theme every day through the entirety of Advent, from the start of December up until Christmas Eve.
In an effort to provide knowledge and discernment to Daily TV Mass’ global audience of over 125,000 faithful viewers, each reflection video will be available on the Daily TV Mass website, YouTube and through the Daily TV Mass app.
“We are thrilled to have (Collins) celebrate this year’s online retreat. We sat down with him and came up with this theme called Come Lord Jesus, which he will delve into in a few different ways,” said Deacon Mike Walsh, executive director of the National Catholic Broadcasting Council which produces Daily TV Mass.
The theme of Come Lord Jesus is broken down into three sections: Jesus’ birth in Bethlehem, Jesus’ presence through sacrament and at our life’s end and the second coming of Jesus and visions in the Book of Revelation.
“A lot of people may think that Jesus entering the world in Bethlehem is all Advent is about, but Cardinal Collins will be able to explain that it is also about what the Jewish people expect from the Messiah, how He comes to us through sacrament and at the advent of our own death and at the end of the age,” said Walsh.
Each snippet is expected to be five-six minutes in length and packed full of insights that explore every facet of the season. They will be released daily starting Dec. 1.
As Collins emphasizes in the retreat’s promo, Catholics can expect to come away with a deeper understanding of what it means to be prepared for and subsequently celebrate the coming of Jesus as His followers.
‘In this retreat, we will explore how God comes to us in different ways: in sacrament, in the Word and in prayer. Throughout our lives, we pray, ‘Come, Lord Jesus,’ and this Advent retreat is meant to help us appreciate what that means in our daily lives as disciples. We are Advent Christians, and that makes all the difference,” Collins said.
Walsh praised Collins’ enthusiasm and aptness for delivering important lectures with such ease.
“He is an amazing, intelligent guy who is also an excellent teacher,” he said. “Myself and the other producers are television professionals who know how challenging it can be and (Collins) is as good as anybody we have ever had on.”
Collins himself spoke to his enjoyment of undertaking this year’s retreat offering.
“I wanted to provide something that was really worthwhile and I have always loved Advent because I think it is most like our life in Christ as it is a celebration, but it is also penitential — that mixture is very beautiful,” he said. “I am so grateful for the opportunity to share something useful and helpful to the spiritual life of the people who watch it.”
Walsh is hopeful that this year’s offering will be particularly informative thanks to Collins’ rich theological understanding. He specialized in sacred Scripture and the Book of Revelation during his studies in Rome, giving his insight into the apocalyptic vision of Advent an added level of expertise.
“(The reflections) are rich theologically in the sense that you will have to listen. It is not above anyone and you do not have to be a theologian to understand it, but it provides food for thought about one of the most important aspects of our faith and there is something for everybody’s level,” Walsh said.
Collins hopes viewers take away the idea of hope and his favourite hymn, “O God Beyond All Praising.”
“Hope is a virtue that flourishes in the midst of struggle and that is what Advent’s all about, people are hoping for the coming of the Messiah. The final part of my favourite hymn goes ‘Whether our tomorrows be filled with good or ill, we’ll triumph through our sorrows and rise to bless you still. To marvel at your beauty and glory in your ways, and make a joyful duty our sacrifice of praise.’ I think that sums up Advent beautifully,” he said.
Daily TV Mass is hoping for nearly 10,000 views per day on its YouTube channel, a few thousand more from its podcast and app and to reach 10,000 additional viewers through daily devotional emails which the faithful can sign up on their website.
Visit https://www.youtube.com/dailytvmass.
A version of this story appeared in the November 24, 2024, issue of The Catholic Registerwith the headline "Collins to celebrate Daily TV Mass Advent retreat".
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