An Advent Review

[BarbTherese]

I was in a local shopping centre earlier this week and there was a choir singing Christmas carols.  I had some waiting time and so sat down to listen.  As I did, suddenly I was aware of the great joy and bustle around me, the generosity and ordinary human friendliness of all kinds of people (I had been collecting earlier in the shopping centre  for St Vincent de Paul in the parish).  I knew that we had God to thank for it all and with moments of sadness and hope for those who do not know the Joy of Christmas due to suffering for one reason or another.  I became aware that life and living was no longer futile and empty and that Heaven had been opened wide for all by the coming of Jesus.  We had a life to live inspired and motivated by The Gospel, Scripture and our Catholic spirituality -  and an eternity to enjoy.  I was moved to praise and thankfulness on many levels by the simple sitting down to listen to Christmas Carols and with a tear in my eye of great Joy mixed with some sadness.

I can really struggle with my thoughts rather often and as I stood earlier collecting in my spot, a quite elderly lady came up to the dress shop opposite me.  She was quite old and poorly dressed - and rather than some unkind thoughts crossing my mind, I found I felt quite inspired by an elderly poor woman looking through a clothes rack probably for a gift for her granddaughters and one that she could afford.  I was truly thankful that for once rather than battling with unkind thoughts, I was rejoicing at the Grace of for once spontaneous kindly thoughts.

I have much to be grateful and praising for in the quite very ordinary events in my life this Advent.  I hope and pray that you do too.  I hope and pray that this Christmas the "day star" will rise in my heart and my heart of stone melt into a heart of flesh.  I can sort of cruise along with my times of prayer and sometimes find discouragement that I just don't seem to make any progress at all - this Advent I have had some happy surprises (Our God of The Surprise) that I hope and pray will become habitual.  I hope that you have had the same.

 

It just occurred to me as I was reading back before hitting "Post New Topic" that just as we can find much inspiration in the events in Scripture (such as The Visitation below), so too we can reflect on incidents and events in our own life as a sort of Lectio Divina and find Christ truly present in the midst of the very ordinary............amidst our "pots and pans" as it were - whatever form the most very ordinary and mundane might take in our lives.

 

 

 

Lectio Divina 21st December 2014

http://ocarm.org/en/content/lectio/lectio-divina-luke-139-45

 

2) Gospel Reading – Luke 1, 39-45

 

Mary set out at that time and went as quickly as she could into the hill country to a town in Judah.
She went into Zechariah's house and greeted Elizabeth. Now it happened that as soon as Elizabeth heard Mary's greeting, the child leapt in her womb and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit.
She gave a loud cry and said, 'Of all women you are the most blessed, and blessed is the fruit of your womb. Why should I be honoured with a visit from the mother of my Lord? Look, the moment your greeting reached my ears, the child in my womb leapt for joy. Yes, blessed is she who believed that the promise made her by the Lord would be fulfilled.'

 

3) Reflection

 

• Luke stresses the readiness of Mary in serving, in being a handmaid. The Angel speaks about the pregnancy of Elizabeth and immediately, Mary rises and sets out as quickly as she could to go and help her. From Nazareth to the house of Elizabeth there were more than 100 km, the minimum, four days of travelling!, There were no buses, no trains. Mary begins to serve and fulfils her mission in behalf of the people of God.
• Elizabeth represents the Old Testament which was about to end. Mary represents the New Testament. The Old Testament accepts the New one with gratitude and trust, recognizing in it God’s gratuitous gift which is going to be realized and is going to complete the expectation of people. In the encounter of the two women is manifested the gift of the Spirit. The child leapt with joy in Elizabeth’s womb. This is the reading of the faith which Elizabeth makes of the things of life.
• The Good News of God reveals his presence in the most common things of human life: two house wives who visit each other to mutually help one another. Visit, joy, pregnancy, children, mutual help, house, family: Luke wants us and the community to perceive precisely this and that we discover in this God’s presence.
• Elizabeth says to Mary: “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb!” Up until today, these words form part of the best known Psalm and most prayed in the whole world, “The Hail Mary”.
• “And blessed is she who has believed that the promise made her by the Lord would be fulfilled”. This is the praise of Elizabeth to Mary and the message of Luke for the community: to believe in the Word of God, because the Word of God has the force to fulfil all that which it tells us. It is a creative Word. It generates new life in the womb of the Virgin, in the womb of people who accept it with faith.
• Mary and Elizabeth already knew one another. But in this encounter, they discover, one in one another, a mystery which they had not known as yet, and which fills them with great joy. Today also, we meet persons who surprise us because of the wisdom they possess and the witness of faith that they give. Has something similar happened to you already? Have you met persons who have surprised you? What prevents us from discovering and from living the joy of God’s presence in our life?
• The attitude of Mary before the Word expresses the ideal which Luke wants to communicate to the Community: do not close yourselves in self, but get out of self, be attentive to the concrete needs of persons and try to help others as far as possible according to their need.

 

 

Edited December 21, 2013 by BarbaraTherese

[BarbTherese]

More thoughts after posting :)

The awesome and stunning matter of God becoming one of us - and one of us amongst the very poorest and humble, Who is The Lord of The Universe, is the very same Lord that does not despise at all to be in the very midst of the most humble and ordinary, mundane, of tasks and events in a very ordinary life.  For me, a profound message of Christmas.