ADVENT WEEK 4 – YEAR C 2006
This truly beautiful gospel passage today illustrates at least two important concepts….. the importance of giving thanks and naming blessings…..
I went and helped out at a reconciliation ceremony in Hervey Bay during the week and in the reflection time there was a parable told of a man who wrote the hurts he received in the sand… but carved all the blessings he received in rock… when he was asked why he did this he said…. it is so important to inscribe the hurts and wrongs in sand.. so that the winds of forgiveness and love can erase them after a time…. but it is so important to carve the blessings and graces in stone.. so they will serve as a constant reminder to us of all the things we are grateful for … and time, busyness, even misfortiune and circumstance will be unable to erase those memories…. I was impressed by this story…..
I thought to myself… why do I suspect that for many of us, myself included… we might be tempted to do things the wrong way around…. writing the countless acts of kindness, love, generosity and grace on the shifting sand of our memories…. whilst carving hurts and grudges, memories of misfortunes and our own and others sins and weaknesses on stone…….. and does it help?
Elizabeth is an example of a faithful disciple of God who sees the graciouness happening around her and sings out loudly in praise of God, in thanksgiving… and names the presence of God that she has experienced in and through Mary’s visit and her own child……. it is a truly inspiring moment….
the other thing that strikes me about this well-known passage is the importance of family, extended family…. and (for the many who do not have many family members, the community of support that is family to us… our parish, our friends, our colleagues…….)….
Mary must have been frightened and overcome by what she knew was happening to her…. not everyone would be happy…. not everyone would assume that the Holy Spirit was at work…. even saint Joseph when he found out that Mary was expecting was thrown into natural confusion and hurt….. if he were not an honourable man he mght even have made a major case against his betrothed…. we are told that when he found out what was happening he planned to divorce Mary without any fuss so as not to cause what he believed was a scandal……. this was before he found out the truth……that God was at work here……
Mary went to visit
At Christmas time family reunions are not always delightful… sometimes there is conflict… sometimes family members have met up after not having seen each other for ages… and differences can become obvious.. causing tension……
that can be the risk if we try to cram all our family dealings into a few days once a year, rather than trying various ways of keeping contact and discussion going throughout the year….. but it is a challenge.
This weekend… as Advent comes to a close so quickly that the weekend immediately turns around into Christmas eve…. let us take some time to carve a few things in stone….. lets look back…… who are some of the people we need to give thanks for …. to recall in our hearts the acts of kindness and love they have shown…. whoa re the people we have experienced Christ’s grace through their presence and action….. let us remember and give thanks for them in our hearts, minds..,. even our words ……
let us seek out people who, like Elizabeth, have grateful hearts… who focus on the positives and do not dwell on negatives, getting us more and more upset and downcast…….
let us be attentive to the ways in which God is present to us, in the people with whom we live, work and socialize…….
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