Hundreds attend diocesan Advent retreat

Friday, Dec. 09, 2016

DRAPER — God gives the tools needed to experience the beauty of the Advent season, said Father Gustavo Vidal during the 2016 Diocese of Salt Lake City Advent retreat, presented Dec. 3 at Saint John the Baptist Catholic Church.

The retreat was bilingual English/Spanish, with Fr. Vidal seamlessly transitioning between the two languages. Fr. Vidal, who is originally from Colombia, was ordained in 1997 and is pastor of Saint Mary Parish in West Haven.

About 400 people attended the retreat.

During Morning Prayer, Fr. Vidal prayed that those gathered might better understand the Advent season. He prayed for all the people of the world as well as for those who are suffering from poverty, war and disease. “Let us work as one body to bring justice to the poor and peace to the afflicted,” he prayed. He asked God to “ignite hope in our dark world and announce the dawn of your kingdom once again.”

After the prayer concluded, Fr. Vidal began his presentation by explaining to those attending the retreat what they as Catholics were celebrating during the Advent season. 

“We are celebrating the mystery of the incarnation,” he said. He drew a distinction between reincarnation and incarnation. Reincarnation, he said, is believing that a good person after dying will come back as something in harmony with nature and a bad one will come back as something lowly.

Incarnation, on the other hand, is the belief that Jesus came to earth as fully man, appearing in the flesh just as any normal human being would, while he also is fully divine. It is this miracle and mystery that Catholics celebrate at Advent, Fr. Vidal said.

During the retreat, Fr. Vidal paced energetically between the center pews, never confined to speaking behind a lectern, sometimes stomping his feet as he passionately proclaimed his beliefs. 

“We have to be proud of who we are!” he exclaimed suddenly as he spoke about Jesus’ triumph over death. “We are Christians!”

Throughout the event, he engaged the congregation in his presentation. He compared the Advent season to the American holiday of Thanksgiving. Fr. Vidal said that, as an immigrant, he loves Thanksgiving; its history and practices intrigue him. The amount of effort that so many families go through to welcome relatives who live far away is beautiful, he said. If people do so much to make their families welcome, he said, they should do all that and more this Advent season to make Christ feel welcome in their hearts.

Though he told those present at the retreat much about the Advent season and its meaning, he also left some things for them to interpret. After reading the Parable of the Prodigal Son (Lk 15:11-32), he had the people silently reflect for 15 minutes on what the story meant to them. He then asked them to share their reflection. One woman said it reminded her of the time her grandson hid from her in the mall and when she found him she was too happy to be angry with him. Another talked about how it made him remember how merciful God has been to him.

Many of those in attendance said they felt that Fr. Vidal’s presentation was very powerful. 

“It spiritually puts me in that (Advent) frame of mind,” said Gloria Gonzales-Cook of St. Francis Xavier Parish in Kearns. 

Fr. Vidal’s words evoked many powerful emotions among several of the congregation, bringing some to tears. “He has reminded me of all the moments that we have lived that brought us until today and how God is always with us, no matter what,” said Teresa Sanchez from Saint Thomas Aquinas Catholic Church in Hyde Park.