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Angels play a pretty big part in the Christmas story: They announce to Mary that she will be the mother of Jesus, they share the news of Mary’s pregnancy with Joseph, and they announce Jesus’ birth to the shepherds.
The more we recognize our abundance, the more we want everyone to have that experience of grace and giftedness.
As we near the end of Advent, in this week’s Gospel, we hear the story of Mary–very pregnant with Jesus–visiting her cousin Elizabeth, who is also with child.
Scripture
Jesus answered them, “Go and tell John what you have seen and heard: the blind receive their sight, the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, the poor have good news brought to them.”
— Luke 7:22
Reflection
If you don’t already have a gratitude journal, now might be the time to begin one. It doesn’t need to be fancy. A plain spiral notebook will do, or even a sheet of paper.
A part of my family’s Advent tradition is to have everyone choose a name off the giving tree in the back of our parish church. The kids enjoy trying to find someone their age and maybe with similar interests. It is always eye-opening to me to see their reactions when they see those on the tree asking for basic things, rather than the latest, greatest toys.
The refrain of Advent is “The Lord is near.” Sometimes it’s hard to believe this.
Waiting for something—especially during Advent—can be really hard. The anticipation of what is to come can be overwhelming, and sometimes makes it hard to be on our best behavior. If there is a certain behavior I want one of my children to stop, I have found the best way to do it is to redirect his or her attention to something else.
The scribes’ challenge stands before us. Our salvation depends on the answer we give to the question they posed to Jesus: who are you and what are you all about?
Advent offers us the opportunity each year to come to a place of peace and reconciliation with our past.
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