Come Away By Yourselves

The Baptism of Jesus speaks to us of his incredible humility.  Without being a sinner, Jesus plays the role of one by letting himself be baptized by John the Baptist.  Humility unlocks our ability to love God and others.  It protects our peace and joy.   

Closing in on Christmas we contemplate the mystery of the Incarnation.  Mary's humility and openness to God's plan are inspiring and truly mysterious.  She offers us a recipe for our own life as Christians: attentiveness in prayer, humility based on contemplating God, and readiness to do His will. 

In the Incarnation, the Infinite God becomes finite, limited, even small.  The Word is made flesh and begins his earthly life as an infant, as a little thing.  In the spiritual life, little things are also a dwelling place of God.  Little deeds, ordinary tasks, and everyday moments are all opportunities for us "to seek Christ, to find Christ, to love Christ", who is present but hidden in each circumstance.  

Advent is essentially a time of preparation.  To prepare for Jesus is to make our souls and lives more welcoming places for him to arrive.  This entails conversion, confession, a real change of heart and mind.  The changes that Jesus can bring about in our lives and in the world are truly incredible.  To let him do this, we need to be on board with the program. 

Advent is a time of patience and hope.  Both of these virtues entail waiting.  Waiting for God is sometimes very difficult, especially in trying situations.  Our faith in Jesus, who is God with us and faithful to his promises, bolsters our ability to wait for him with joyful hope.  Our faith overcomes the tribulation of the world and even makes us peaceful in the face of possible persecution.  

Jesus often calls us to vigilance.  We know neither the time nor the hour of his second coming and the time of our own death is certain but unknown to us.  The best preparation for our judgment is found in discerning and doing the will of God. 

Our Faith should give us great confidence in God.  Waiting around for a feeling of confidence, however, rarely ever works.  Rather we should treat our Faith more like the robust Truth that it is.  Faith is just true, whether we feel like it is or not.  This feeling dependent view of faith ends up filling us with the courage and confidence that we need and want. 

On the Feast of All Saints we reflect on what makes saints holy.  God's gift of divine filiation is at the core of sanctity.  As children of God, the saints experience a freedom that was and is Christ's own liberty.  We pray for a greater desire to be like them on earth so we can be with them in heaven.  

The question of our personal identity is crucial to life.  Our identity is tied to our closest relationships and our life’s mission.  The deepest truth of who we are, however, is something we find in God and receive from Him, not something we have to figure out entirely on our own. By living the life God wants for us, we become our true selves and discover our true names. 

Moses struggles on a hilltop to keep his hands up in prayer while a battle rages down on the field.  The fight's outcome depends on Moses' effort in prayer.  Our prayers also make a real difference in the lives of others and of the world.  Inspired by Scripture, which is living and active, our time in prayer gives new life to our ordinary tasks and interactions.  

Jesus heals ten lepers but only one comes back to thank him.  An image of sin, their leprosy is cured when they are on the way to see "the priests."  Jesus appreciates the gratitude of the Samaritan who returned after being cured and finds fault with the other nine.  Constant gratitude is a way of loving our Lord and of assuring our own increase in saving faith. 

Jesus' parable of the talents is an image of Christian life.  God has invested a lot in each one of us.  Like the servants who eagerly trade with their talents to make them fruitful, we want to accept all the opportunities and challenges that our Lord has entrusted to us.  Too often it is easy to resent life, focusing only on the difficulties, and end up like the third servant who buries his talent out of laziness and fear. 

St. Paul expresses God's intent that "all men be saved."  In his providence, God counts on his apostolic Church to fulfill this divine desire.  He is always looking for "laborers" for the vineyard.  The parable of the unjust steward reminds us to be grateful guardians of God's gifts and to be shrewd in pursuing our noble ends.