Reflecting the Divine
Gospel: Lk 6:36-38
https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/022624.cfm
Today’s gospel is both a call to action and a shifting of our perception of God and what it means to be human. The passage starts with Jesus saying that we should be merciful as God is merciful. It then describes additional behaviors we should take on: stop judging, stop condemning, forgive, and live generously (“for the measure with which you measure will in return be measured out for you”).
These behaviors for Jesus are the behaviors of God. This passage demonstrates how Jesus sees God. He understands God to be free of judgment, free of condemnation, full of mercy, full of forgiveness, and generous. With God there is abundance, with us and the separation we put between us and God, we create scarcity; scarcity for ourselves, for others, and for the rest of creation. The social dimensions and impacts of our sin go beyond what we may see on the surface. What we put into the world is what makes the world; not just for ourselves, but for all people and creation. We are all accountable for the world we live in.
To make the Kingdom of God a reality, we must live the Kingdom of God. Living the Kingdom is contained in today’s gospel: show mercy, stop judging, stop condemning, forgive, and be generous. This is not about what we earn or what we deserve. It’s not an equation where good things will happen to me if I put good out there. Instead, it’s about making all of creation better. If we put good out there, good things will be out there. The more good we put out there, the more that that good will be perpetuated. While our sins have a social component, so does our goodness. If we all live according to this gospel, we would all live in abundance.
What can you change or do today to be a ripple of good in the world?
Chance encounters
Gospel: Mk 9:2-10
https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/022524.cfm
At any moment we can be visited by God. God is always present with us, but we are often not aware of that presence. At moments when we do, we can be moved to great awe and want to hold onto that moment. Those moments though transcend a concept of time, so when we get overly focused on holding onto it, we lose it.
We can also keep ourselves too busy, hyperfixated on what we need or want to do, that we miss what God is showing us right now. We can get so obsessed with things that went wrong in the past that we can’t see how God is calling out to us at this place and time. It’s too easy to overlook what is always there waiting to be seen.
Where we find God can be shared as it can all be an individual experience. We all have different things that may resonate with us more easily as we are all created differently. There may also be things that we share with others. We can find ourselves more easily growing in community with individuals who have similar insights as we can also be moved by those who recognize the beauty we miss.
God is reaching out to us and trying to meet us where we are at. At times we can share in that experience and other times it may just be a special encounter just for us. Even in today’s gospel, only three of the disciples were present. That doesn’t mean that Jesus loved or cared for the rest less than those who were present, but each of us has our own experiences and encounters.
How is God currently present in your life, but possibly overlooked? How can you make more room for God?
Love beyond the ego
Gospel: Mt 5:43-48
https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/022424.cfm
In today’s gospel, Jesus calls his followers to go beyond societal standards when it comes to loving others. It is easy to love friends and family, but Jesus calls us to love not just them, but our enemies and those who persecute us as well. He calls us to take the divine perspective, not our own isolated individualized perspective. We need to see the world beyond ourselves to the divine perspective where we are all equal and deserving of God’s love.
Jesus wants us to see past the construct that there must be retribution for our actions. When we wish for bad things to happen to those who have wronged us, we are missing the point. When we have hope that people will get what’s coming to them on the day of judgment, we are missing the point as well. God has not given up on anyone, so why should we? Now if someone is harmful or toxic to you, it may be best for you to sever that relationship, but that doesn’t mean that you should wish them harm.
Our hope should always be in reconciliation and not in retribution or damnation. This is seen in the parable of the lost sheep where the shepherd leaves the flock to find the lost sheep. God doesn’t abandon us when we go astray or leave us to the wolves. If it was that way, there would be no redemption and we would all be damned. Think of all the things we do both intentionally and unintentionally that cause harm to others. We are all the enemy that is deserving of love.
God has the sun rise on the bad and good, and the rain falls on the just and the unjust. God is not keeping score. God is seeking our reconciliation, our redemption, and our relationship. God wants us to want the same, not just for ourselves, but for those that we may find the least deserving.
Make peace with your enemies.
Reconciliation
Gospel: Mt 5:20-26
https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/022324.cfm
Today’s gospel is a challenging one. Jesus shows us that the law goes beyond the Ten Commandments. He says that not only is murder wrong, but so is becoming angry with our neighbor, calling them foolish, or thinking of them as worthless. This is much more difficult to follow.
He then goes beyond this level of scrutiny. He says that religious practices to find forgiveness are not enough; we must reconcile with those we’ve wronged directly. How much more of a challenge is that? Think of all the times we passively get angry with other people. It would be quite a challenge to find all of them and reconcile with them. Plus, isn’t it so much easier to find forgiveness in church attendance, confession, and prayer? Can’t we just ride it all off because Jesus already died for our sins? These things are all well and good, but we are called to more.
God’s forgiveness and mercy are not earned, but that doesn’t mean that we shouldn’t make it right with those we’ve wronged. Jesus is calling us when at all possible to reconcile with others. We will get angry from time to time and we should talk it out with others. When we think others are worthless or foolish, we need to pause and remember that they too were created in the image of God. In all situations, we should strive to reconcile with neighbors we’ve wronged quickly.
It’s easier to think of the supernatural aspects of forgiveness; it is more challenging to choose to live it. What is something you’ve done to wrong someone recently? What can you do to reconcile with them? Try it out, you may just be surprised to see their response.
Who do you say that I am?
Gospel: Mt 16:13-19
https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/022224.cfm
During Jesus’s time, the people of Israel were looking for the Messiah or thinking that he already come. With the captivity they were experiencing, they felt that they needed redemption. The disciples gave Jesus lots of examples of what people were thinking. Jesus then asks “But who do you say that I am?” Peter quickly responds by calling him the son of the living God. It is with those words that Jesus says that Peter will be the rock on which he will be his church.
When it comes to our faith, we can be quick to analyze and explain our faith, that is not what God seeks. It was in this simple understanding of Peter that Jesus gave him authority. Peter didn’t recite a creed or write a book of theology, he simply said that Jesus was the son of the living God. Jesus did not give credit for this knowledge to Peter but said that it was provided to him by God.
There is beauty found in the simple and direct. True knowledge goes beyond words. It is not our knowledge that saves us, but our relationship. Help us to slow down and find beauty in the simplicity of faith like Peter.
History repeating
Gospel: Lk 11:29-32
https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/022124.cfm
History repeats itself, but yet is always different. In today’s gospel, Jesus compares himself to Jonah. Jonah reluctantly shared God’s message with the Ninevites. Hearing his message the Ninevites changed their ways by ending their violence, repenting from their other sins, and fasting.
Unlike Jonah, Jesus was a willing prophet. Like Jonah, he came to witness to the misguided in the world so that they may repent. There was still hope that the people in Jesus’s time would change their ways, but it would not be on their terms or expectations. They wanted to be saved by their Roman captivity. He was there to share the good news with them, heal the sick and ailing, and feed the hungry. He wanted them to transform their worldview and go beyond their present understanding of suffering and duelist thinking. They were so worried about their oppression from outside forces that they overlooked the needs of those around them. The salvation that Jesus offered went beyond that of freedom from the Romans; it’s a liberation that makes the Roman occupation seem meaningless.
We have a lot of people in our time who think about how evil our present generation is, but look around and you can find God’s work present. It may not always be how or from whom we’d expect it, but that’s God’s way of helping us transform and grow. He calls us all to go beyond our limited thinking to love more and follow in his example. He is calling us to be that transforming force in the world.
The Lord’s Prayer
Gospel: Mt 6:7-15
https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/022024.cfm
The Lord’s prayer, or the Our Father, is less of a petition to God and more of a reminder to us.
“Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name..”
We start the prayer with a showing of reverence. It is a reminder to us that God transcends God’s creation. God is beyond this reality while participating in it. We recognize God as the beginning and the end.
“..thy Kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.”
Prayer is an exercise in shifting our mindset from our individual will to that of God’s. While we often petition the Lord with prayer by asking for things, prayer is a space for us to share our desires with God so that God can transform them into the Divine Will. We communicate our wants to open ourselves up to the wants of God. It humbles us to recognize what is in and outside of our control. While we may do our part, we are uncertain of the outcome. There are other variables beyond ourselves.
This part of the prayer is a reminder to us of the now and the not yet of the Kingdom of God. We have the hope and faith that God’s Kingdom will come into reality once we all participate fully in the Divine Will. We have faith and hope that God’s Kingdom will come to fruition in reality as its potential is there under the surface. Our participation in it will make it so. While we put the onus on God, and God is ultimately the onus, God calls us to participate in it.
“Give us this day our daily bread…”
We are asking God to take care of our true needs in this present time as it uses the words “day” and “daily.” Not all of the things we think we need are actually needed at this specific moment. My concerns and worries are not in the present moment but are reflections on the past and fears about hypothetical futures. This prayer calls us to be in the present and seek God’s support.
This is a call to action, as our actions can take away from or provide the daily needs of others. The prayer overall uses “we” language and not “I” language. This calls us to see beyond our individual needs to the universal. This prayer grounds us both in the moment and the universal community.
“...forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us.”
God wants us to participate in the Divine Will. If God is forgiving, we too must be forgiving. If we seek God to provide for our needs, we must provide for the needs of others. God seeks and desires a relationship with us and our participation in God’s mission. We are called to forgive, and in turn, we’ll be forgiven. We must learn to forgive both ourselves and others.
“Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.”
We are asking God to help us not fall into temptation while also asking for deliverance from evil when we do. We are all fragile and vulnerable to sin. It is easy for us to turn back on God and to sever our relationship with God, others, ourselves, and the rest of creation. Here we ask for God’s assistance both in avoiding sin and healing when we do.
The Lord’s Prayer reminds us of the greatness of God and calls us to participate in the Divine by:
Living in the present moment (Not wallowing in the past or worrying about the future);
Shifting our mindset from our ego to universal thinking;
Forgiving others and ourselves;
Freeing ourselves from sin;
Trusting in God’s healing.
The Lord’s Prayer is a contemplative call to action. May we all grow in relation and the virtues therein.
Divine music
Gospel: Mt 25:31-46
https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/021924.cfm
What does Jesus mean when he speaks of the kingdom of God? It’s not something otherworldly, but something we participate in right now. God is seeking partners and active participants. God is seeking a relationship with us through our sharing in the mission. God is calling us to care for God’s creation which includes all of nature and one another.
This gospel is like a band or a symphony where the music must be in sync with all of the players. Our goal is to get to a point where we all play together in the divine melody of life. To do that, we must help each other out in our time of need. We must find ways to help others play music with us. We must learn to adjust to play as a cohesive whole. Even if our playing is perfect, it doesn’t matter if the rest of the symphony is not. We must help bring everyone along. Perfection is not in isolation, it’s in community. God is calling us to this. At times, we’ll be the discordant sound. Even when we are not the discordant sound, it is our mission to help others find the divine melody and provide for their needs so that we can play together. We do this through feeding the hungry, providing drink to the thirsty, welcoming the stranger, providing shelter for the homeless, clothing the naked, feeding the sick, and visiting those in their time of need and abandonment.
As far as it goes with the sheep and the goats, Jesus’s message goes beyond labeling them as people. We all have attributes of both the sheep and the goats. We have the parts of us that choose to support others and parts that do not. None of us are fully sheep or fully goats as far as the metaphor goes. We must always strive to further listen and adopt the guidance of our shepherd. Don’t look for who are the sheep or the goats, but become someone who is more loving and leads others to do the same by loving them.
Formation
Gospel: Mk 1:12-15
https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/021824.cfm
Life tends to mold and change us. Like Jesus’s time in the desert, we have times when we are compelled to go outside of our comfort zone. In these moments, we face temptation as we also find people to support and guide us along the way. All of this prepares us for what is to come next. It allows us to grow into transformed persons who take on new challenges. It gives us the tools we need to live our mission or our calling. It helps us become more actualized human beings.
We don’t do this alone, our experiences are intertwined and interconnected whether we see it or not. In the gospel of Mark, Jesus’s and John the Baptist’s missions were interconnected. John laid out the foundation that Jesus was to build upon. Each of them had their role and their time to be the face and voice of that mission. Jesus needed his time to prepare and the world needed its time to prepare for the gospel that was to come.
Like with Jesus, we too are being formed. We too have our place in time. We too are interconnected in our journey. May we find the courage that Jesus did through his time in the desert to spread the gospel of a God who is merciful to us and wants us to grow and be transformed in love. May God give us the strength to carry on the mission.
Conversion
Gospel: Lk 5:27-32
https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/021724.cfm
What does it take for conversion? In today’s gospel, we learn of Levi, a tax collector, who left everything behind to follow Jesus. At the point of his conversion, he wanted to share his newfound relationship with Jesus with his friends, and his fellow tax collectors.
From the perspective of the Pharisees and scribes, Jesus was hanging out with greedy individuals who took advantage of the marginalized in society. On the surface, it all appeared as it was; it was what society judged it to be. A tax collector was a bad person, and a group of tax collectors was even worse. They were stereotyped for the role that they provided to society. Some of these stereotypes could have been for good reason and some of them may be self-fulfilling prejudgments.
As one goes through a conversion experience, the world may not see it that way. It may take the world time to catch up, and the world may never catch up. There may still be judgment from your community, your family, and strangers for who you’ve been or what you may have symbolized to them. Even your religious institution may fall trap to this. What good is it to change if the world still sees you the way you were? Conversion requires resilience and open-mindedness. We must be disciplined to sustain our change and keep ourselves open to additional changes to come. Conversion is not a one-moment experience. God is always working on us.
Joyful encounter
Gospel: Mt 9:14-15
https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/021624.cfm
When I was a child, I was told that heaven was where we would worship God for eternity. In heaven, we’d sing hymnals all day and keep telling God how awesome and amazing he was. It was pretty off-putting. I voiced my concern, and at times, I was told, “Yes, it’s all that, but you’re going to like it because everyone is going to get along there will be no suffering.” To be honest, it didn’t seem like the best trade-off. If you praise God for eternity, you won’t suffer. It was very disconnecting, and to think it was for all eternity! It didn’t seem like something I wanted to sign up for.
Then, we read scripture like today and read more about what Jesus said. Being with God is to be a celebration. It’s like spending your time with your closest friends. It is experiencing joy like at a perfect wedding banquet. An encounter with God is one of joy. We fast in recognition of our separation from God or to help us return to our union after putting something above God. To experience God is an experience of joy. God is with us when we suffer, when things are mediocre, and when we are happy.
While Lent is a season for fasting, it is also a season to get more deeply connected to God. Allow yourself to experience joy.
Transcending the ego
Gospel: Lk 9:22-25
https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/021524.cfm
It is so easy that it’s almost natural for us to keep ourselves separated from the Divine will. Separation from the Divine will is not merely about how well we’ve avoided or given into sin. That may be part of it, but God is not keeping score on what we perceive as sin. We have social constructs about what is right and what is wrong, what is socially acceptable and unacceptable, what we expect or do not expect out of life. With all this judgmental thinking, we tear ourselves and others down.
In the first part of today’s gospel, Jesus speaks of how he will suffer and be rejected by the elders, chief priests, and the scribes. The ones that will persecute him are the ones who are respected for their experience, those respected for religious authority, and those that were most knowledgeable of scripture and doctrine. They are all external forces in positions of power and societal influence.
In the second part of the scripture, the gaze is moved from external to internal. To follow Jesus, one must deny oneself, take up one’s cross, and lose one’s life. We are called to self-emptying. We do this by transcending the shameful and conceited perspective of our ego and facing our reality and situation with love.
In both regards, following God is freedom. It’s a freedom beyond the internal and the external power dynamics that plague us. It’s living life on the terms of the creator beyond your perception of not being worthy, being better than anyone else, or even placing yourself somewhere in the middle. In living for God we go beyond all that and become one. We become who we were intended to become: inclusive and loving of God, self, others, and creation.
Ash Wednesday
Gospel: Mt 6:1-6,16-18
https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/021424.cfm
Today is the first day of Lent. Today’s gospel prepares us for the Lenten journey. It showcases how we should approach almsgiving, prayer, and fasting. These actions should not be taken for recognition from others. The goal is not to appear pious but to be pious. I would go beyond that and say that these actions are motivated to help us grow in our relationship with God, others, and ourselves. If we are proud of these actions, they lack the right intent. If we are doing it for recognition, we are missing the point. These actions are transformational and unifying and connect us to our Divine source.
Almsgiving reminds us that our treasures are not our own, but they have been given to us to steward. To steward them is to share them. This almsgiving can be financial, but it can also be giving of our time and talents without the expectation of something in return. It can be realizing or changing our behaviors because we realize the impact it has on others and nature. Almsgiving transforms us into becoming more humble by seeing what is ours is actually ours to share. It helps us see the world beyond me and them to see all as part of a unifying us.
Prayer is a time we set aside for direct presence with God. As it is said at Ash Wednesday services: “All come from dust and from dust we shall return.” If all material things shall be lost; we should invest our time in what is eternal. Prayer connects us to our eternal source. It helps us see beyond our ego to the needs of others. It helps us see beyond our perspective to see things in a new way.
Fasting helps us reassess our priorities and allows us to see beyond our habits and our quests for gratification. Falling into routines and a static way of seeing the world is easy. Fasting allows for us to see the world from a new vantage point. It allows us to see new possibilities. There is more to reality than our own views. Things can be different. Things can be better. Things can be more appreciated. Fasting transforms us to go beyond ourselves.
This Lent consider how you can grow in love by your practice of almsgiving, prayer, and fasting. Remind yourself that It is not glory or perfection that you seek, but furthering your relationship with God, yourself, and others.
MLK: Kingdom Builder
Gospel: Mk 2:18-22
https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/011524.cfm
Today is Martin Luther King Jr. Day and what a great gospel to be read on such an occasion. This gospel calls to mind Martin Luther King Jr.’s Letter from Birmingham Jail. Like Jesus, Martin struggled with the religious elite of his day telling him that his actions were not prudent to tradition and that he must slow down. In the letter, Martin addresses white moderates for being more concerned with order than with justice.
In the parable of the old wineskins, Jesus calls this struggle to our attention. Old wineskins are a metaphor for being bound to the law and not the spirit behind the law. It is accepting the status quo and focusing more on order over justice. It focuses more on keeping the peace than doing what is right. When someone brings change or challenges the fallacy of the status quo, it’s like pouring new wine into old wineskins; it breaks apart and deteriorates and you are left with a necessary mess. You also need new wineskins or a change in the established system.
Followers of Christ are called to bring the Kingdom of God to fruition. I would argue that this is more universal and we are all called to make this Kingdom a reality. Each of us probably has a different understanding of what this means. It is easy to say that a person brings the Kingdom by being more holy. A person brings on the Kingdom by sinning less. A person brings the Kingdom by taking care of their soul, sharing their faith, and leaving it up to God to save others’ souls. This is all well and good, but our involvement is so much more than that; we are the body of Christ. The Kingdom of God comes to fruition when we all live sinlessly and for each other. By sinless, I mean that all of us live in right relationship with God, ourselves, each other, and the rest of God’s creation. We provide for the needs of others in their time of need, and they provide for us in our time. Does it sound impossible? Yes. Is it impossible? No.
Jesus was an example for us which gives us hope that we can put in the work too. And by the grace of God, we will. This is the goal of human history for us to live in peace with God, ourselves, each other, and the rest of creation. Living in peace goes beyond just getting along, it means that you want what is best for the other. The Kingdom of God may seem something otherworldly and we often make it just that by putting it in the language of heaven and occurring after death. But what if God is calling us to bring it now? And what if God gave us the tools to do it? Martin and Jesus both believed it was possible and that the resources are available.
I believe Martin’s and Jesus’s dreams are the same. Martin was a Kingdom builder and we are still struggling to bring his message to fruition sixty years later. Jesus had a vision too and we are still struggling with it almost 2000 years later. Let us not have their efforts be in vain; let us take charge in our time and have the faith, hope, and love to move us closer or get us to the full actualization of the Kingdom.
A New Year Epiphany
Gospel: Mt 2:1-12
https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/010724.cfm
Today is Epiphany Sunday. An epiphany is a sudden change in perception. It’s a point when your mind is open to understanding and seeing reality differently. It’s like the moment when someone is learning to ride a bike and suddenly they are balanced and riding down the street. It’s a point when you experience an insight that changes your reality. It’s an a-ha moment. When we are young, every day is loaded with epiphanies. As we get older, we often lose sight of the epiphanies that continue to occur around us. When we take on something outside of our comfort zone, we can quickly find ourselves in search of that epiphany experience.
There are a lot of epiphanies within today’s gospel. The Magi were considered to be from the far east of Judah. They were of a different belief system. They traveled a great distance following a star. Over their journey, they made their own personal discoveries. They were foreigners in a foreign land paying homage to a child that was shown to them as special from both divine and natural revelation. They were not scholars of Jewish scripture so the history that led to Jesus would have been outside their scope of knowledge. They were not waiting for a Messiah; yet, they are still there praising the child. It took some great epiphanies to make them do what they did. Jesus was going to reveal that God is universal. God is not limited to one group of people or a select few, but God is there for all. For those who believe or don’t believe, there is still God. For those who subscribe to one tradition or not.
We still experience epiphanies with God today. Our relationship with God is a sequence of epiphanies; it is one epiphany after another. Once we sense that we have it figured out, some new revelation comes along to stretch and grow our perspective. We are all in the process of actualizing and realizing the divine. Our personal journeys are unique. God is constantly trying to meet us where we are, and we are all at a different place. We all see reality differently from our vantage point. God meets us there, and God keeps meeting us there even as our vantage point changes. To God, it is God loving God’s creation and God’s creation loving God.
It can be quite overwhelming. We don’t have all the answers, but that is both the beauty and the struggle. God is there to help us through moments when that uncertainty brings us strife and to be there to celebrate in the moments when we recognize God’s presence. May your journey this year bring you more epiphanies and a deeper understanding of the Divine.
Merry Christmas!
Gospel: Jn 1:1-16
https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/122523-Day.cfm
The Catholic church has numerous reading options depending on the time of day. I decided to go with the daytime reading which is from the gospel of John.
As a child, I often took the “word” in this passage to mean scripture, but the “word” that this passage mentions is far more than that. This “word” is what was spoken that brought existence into being. The word that existed before mankind existed, before we had religion, before there was the fullness of creation. It was the catalyst of creation. This word did not segregate or separate but was unifying. After it was spoken, God saw that the creation was good. God wanted an object to love. In the birth of Jesus, it is this word that became flesh and dwelled among us. God became fully Emmanual, or with us, through this moment in history.
“The true light, which enlightens everyone, was coming into the world.” God enlightens everyone, not a select few. God made special accommodations for those who were overlooked and condemned by society: those with sickness, those of a different nationality, those seen as sinners, those with disreputable professions. He elevated the lowly to lead the way back to the original order of creation; a time when we lived with God and each other in hope, peace, joy, and love. We are all called to continue this mission: to bring God’s kingdom into reality.
What a blessing! What a gift at that first Christmas! God is with us and we are with God. Merry Christmas! Blessings to you and yours in the new year!
Hope, Peace, Joy, and Love
Gospel: Lk 1:26-38
https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/122423.cfm
The theme of the Fourth Week of Advent is Love. The previous weeks were Hope, Peace, and Joy. Today is not just the fourth Sunday of Advent, it is also Christmas Eve. Imagine Mary nine months pregnant journeying to Bethlehem with Joseph for a census. Once they arrive, they are informed that there is no room for them; they are told that they can stay in a stable for the night. Their life after Gabriel visited them was far from predictable or glorious. They had so many mishaps, and this was just the beginning.
Mary through these moments probably reflected on her experience with Gabriel. God sent Gabriel to Mary to help her prepare for what was to come. Through their conversation, Mary found hope that God would work through the incidentals of her life to fulfill her purpose. She found peace in moments of struggle because she knew that things would eventually lead to the full revelation of the Messiah. Gabriel helped Mary understand that God was with her and would care for her. This made the experience in Bethlehem easier for her.
Her sense of hope and peace was a trust in God’s providence for her. It freed her from the worries, fears, and obligations that limit us from fully seeing God’s presence. She was fully open to experiencing God. She encountered God directly; she experienced Love. In giving her will fully to God, she was freed from fear, worry, and obligation, leaving her with a complete sense of hope, peace, joy, and love.
What fears, worries, and obligations limit you from fully experiencing the advent of God as Mary did? How can Mary’s example help you fully experience hope, peace, joy, and love?
“Nothing will be impossible for God.”
Generational hope
Gospel: Lk 1:57-66
https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/122323.cfm
John’s birth was quite different than that of Jesus. John was surrounded by friends and family who celebrated the birth and circumcision and shared the good news throughout the hill country of Judea. Jesus, on the other hand, was born in a manager in a town away from home that did not have room for his parents for regular accommodations. They were visited by angels and shepherds. Jesus’s circumcision and naming were kept simple as well, whereas John’s were quite the production.
Their parents were both told what names they were to be given by an angel. In the case of John, there was more drama around the name. Zachariah, his dad, was mute until the name was given at his circumcision. The friends and family wanted to name the baby Zachariah after his dad, but John’s parents followed the guidance of the angel.
So what’s in a name? Zachariah was the name of a Jewish prophet. As we know John was to prepare the way for the Lord and was going to be a prophet himself. Zachariah means “God remembers” and John means “Gift of God” or “Grace of God.” Having these two names together reassures both how God keeps and delivers promises. God both looks backward and forward. Zachariah was grounded in faith and tradition. Zachariah was foundational to what was to come next, and John was a hope for the future. There was to be a new era to come, and John would be an instrumental part of that future.
There are a lot of generational struggles today. We talk a lot about the shortcomings of different generations. Older generations look at younger generations as if mistakes have been made given their change of perspective. Younger generations look at older generations as if they are archaic and have lost sight of the times. These stories during the time of Advent show us that each generation plays its part in human history. Each generation builds upon the last. Think of how times have changed since the time these gospel stories occurred. We have had social, economic, political, and spiritual shifts for over 2000 years. There have been times in human history when we’ve taken steps backward and other times when we’ve taken leaps forward in moving humanity toward the kingdom of God.
In today’s gospel, the friends, family, and neighbors celebrated the birth of John. They were in such awe of the events surrounding his birth that they shared the news around the countryside. They had hope for the next generation. A hope that they would help make a better world for future generations. Instead of condemning the next generation, let’s look for hope in them. Let’s listen to them with an open mind. Let us share our stories from our experience knowing that they are not static but are dynamic parts of a journey. We do not need to take the names of our parents as our children do not need to take our names.
Finding love
Gospel: Lk 1:46-56
https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/122223.cfm
In other translations, this passage begins with Mary saying “My heart magnifies the Lord.” As we grow in our relationship with God, we gain a deeper understanding of God. It is not that God has changed, but our perception of God has been elevated. Our hearts magnify the Lord. We grow in love.
Love has an object. We can love nature, we can love other people, we can love God. As we grow in that love, we deepen our understanding of the other as if the other goes through a transformation. But it’s not the other that’s being transformed but us. Our love opens us to recognize the image of God in others and creation. It leads us to more fully understand God.
As the passage continues, Mary expresses how Jesus will transform the human power structure: the rich, powerful, and prideful will be taken down and the lowly and the hungry will be lifted up. This is how love works. With love, we see beyond these power structures to connect with the soul of the person. Love liberates us. Love empowers us to see what is truly there beyond the noise that often distracts us.
During this time of Advent, try to see beyond the noise that gets in the way. The noise can be a sense of obligation, expectation, anger, fear, conflict, or anything that truly limits us from seeing each other in the image and likeness of God. In the cacophony that can be found in the holiday, embrace moments of inner silence and find the love that is happening around you. Take that inner silence with you to help reduce the noise around you to help others find that love around them too.
Divine visitation
Gospel: Lk 1:39-45
https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/122123.cfm
During this holiday season, we will encounter friends, family, and strangers. It’s a time when we can connect in a special way with others. For some, this connection can be an obligation, and for others, it can be something we seek out. We have our traditions and our surprises along the way. We can remember those we’ve celebrated with in the past who are no longer with us, and we can more deeply appreciate those who remain. We can see the holiday through the eyes of a child or see how the holiday has changed as we and the one’s we love have grown and changed through the years. We can desire a return to another time or hope for how things will be in the future.
There is a lot of beauty found in the present moment and what we can see in others. In today’s gospel, Mary visits Elizabeth. Mary and Elizabeth were cousins who I presume visited each other on occasion as we do with our relatives. Instead of expressing her excitement in seeing her cousin, Elizabeth is overjoyed to encounter Mary as the mother of her Lord. Elizabeth says, “And how does it happen to me, that the mother of my Lord should come to me?”
We are all created uniquely in the image and likeness of God. God willed us into being and loves us all individually. We each have our own special divine imprint; we can veer away from that imprint, but alas, it is still there. Throughout this holiday season, everyone that we encounter has their own special divine imprint as well. God is revealed in a special way through each of us. When we engage with others this season, it is good to call to mind the words of Elizabeth, “How does it happen to me, that the Lord should come to me?” There is a divine spark in all of us. Look around you and see God’s light in others and be grateful for the unique way God is revealed through that light.