Anticipation & Wonder

Gospel: Lk 10:21-24
https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/120324.cfm

Take a moment and think about the joy you felt during the Christmas holiday as a child. The anticipation of Christmas morning. The sense of awe and wonder you had with the mystery of you were to receive. Beyond the awe and wonder, it was the anticipation that the tradition provides that makes Christmas morning so special. There was the preparation and the thought behind each gift that made it so special. There was also giving back. Not only did you receive surprises, but you had the desire to share the same. We enjoy having the anticipation built for ourselves and building that anticipation for others.

It does take work to make it all happen, and as we get older, it can become more about all the work and obligations and less about the anticipation, awe, and wonder. The revelation of God exists in our time of anticipation, awe, and wonder. There is a joy in the mystery of the now and not yet. We can easily lose touch with this in time.

Today’s gospel is a reminder of this. For there have been prophets, kings, and wise and educated people have not been able to know what has been revealed to those who have remained childlike. We can try to pin it down and define it with science and philosophy, but there will always be a part of it that remains a mystery. It’s in that mystery and that tension that we find anticipation, awe, and wonder. It is a love that transcends definition and understanding.

May we enjoy the anticipation of this season to be filled with awe and wonder that comes from the love we share. Amen.