BEHOLD THE MYSTERY!
Have you ever been to a gathering where you felt so underdressed?
A friend once invited me to pass by her house to bless her newly
renovated Lourdes grotto. I told her I would pass by after dinner. So I
arrived in her house, looking and feeling so casual in my polo and
slacks, sandals, with my stole and holy water in hand, only to find out
that it was a big affair. There was catering, a number of arranged
tables, and the guests were in semi-formal evening wear. Needless to
say, I was so embarrassed I literally felt naked before all of them. I
gave a very moving one-hour homily on Our Lady of Lourdes that night to
make up for being underdressed.
Today we read the story of the birth of John the Baptist. Everyone
present knew the extraordinary circumstances surrounding the birth of
the Baptist: Zechariah was already too old; Elizabeth was not only old
as well, but was barren at that. Everyone felt something special was
happening. Luke narrates that “fear descended on all the neighborhood…
they treasured the events
in their hearts… they wondered what would become of the child.” They
felt underdressed before the mystery unfolding before their very eyes.
The late bishop Fulton Sheen once said that the water at Cana turned to
wine because the water blushed (turned red) when it saw the face of
Jesus. Blushing in awe and worship is the only appropriate stance before
the mystery of God.
Why don’t we blush anymore today? How come we attend Mass like we’re
going to the gym? How come we take communion like we’re receiving a
wafer? How come we approach Christmas as simply a holiday?
We have become so cavalier before God and His mysteries. It’s not like
God needs our attention. He does not need our attention to massage His
Divine ego. We need it. When we take seriously our encounter before God,
it is us who benefit from it. The next time you go to Mass or to the
adoration chapel, be conscious of Who it is you are facing. You will
surely blush in awe. Then you won’t need any artificial blush-on. Fr. Joel Jason
REFLECTION
QUESTIONS: Do you prepare for Christmas as an encounter with God? Do
you consider it important to take pains in readying yourself?
Lord
Jesus, never let me take You for granted. Ingrain in my consciousness a
deep awareness of Your real presence in the Eucharist and in my
prayers. Not for Your sake, but for mine.
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