How Can It Be?

“Most blessed are you among women and blessed is the fruit of your womb. And how does this happen to me, that the mother of my Lord should come to me?”  (Luke 1:42-43)

These are Elizabeth’s words to Mary when Mary comes to visit her. The baby in her womb even responded joyfully at Mary’s greeting. It may have seemed to the outside world that it was an ordinary day, Mary came to visit Elizabeth. But Elizabeth, filled with the Holy Spirit, is able to see beyond the ordinary and recognize that this was an extraordinary event, the mother of our Lord was in her presence. How wonderful it would be if we would respond in such a fashion when we realize that God has blessed us with an extraordinary gift. God touches our lives every day yet so often we don’t recognize it. It may seem like an ordinary encounter or we may not even see his presence at all. We may give thanks for the day, for our health, or for our faith but how often do we stop and ponder how gracious God is to us? I think one way to do that is to really enter into the lives of those around us. So often we go through our day either so busy to notice those around us or we have no desire to get involved. But this is the only way to really experience God. When we reach out to those in need we realize how much God has blessed us and the people we are reaching out to may help us realize that we can do without some of the things that we think we can’t live without.

When we aren’t afraid to reach out to those who are hurting we will certainly encounter God. I was reading today about Victor Cruz, the star receiver for the New York Giants, who drove to Newtown, Connecticut to meet the family of one of the children who died in the school shooting. The little boy was buried wearing the No. 80 jersey of his favorite football player. I am sure that some people wondered how it could be that this famous person would go to be with this family. Some may see this as an extraordinary thing, and it was, not because he was famous but because he was being Christ-like. He was willing to reach out to a hurting family. He commented that he wasn’t sure what he was going to say but realized he didn’t need to say anything at all, his presence was enough.

Dear Lord, help me to be more aware of the miracles in my life, help me to have that sense of awe and wonder that Elizabeth had when Mary came to visit. To be in awe that you would bless me with two amazing sons and trust me to care for them. How can this be that the Lord would have that much trust in me? Open my eyes Lord, help me to see all the beautiful ways in which you enter into my life each and every day and see them with a sense of awe and wonder. Amen

Signs

“The LORD spoke to Ahaz: ask for a sign from the LORD, your God; let it be deep as the netherworld or high as the sky! But Ahaz answered, ‘I will not ask! I will not tempt the LORD!’”  (Isaiah 7:10-12)

Here the Lord is telling Ahaz to go ahead and ask him for a sign; ask for something BIG, as high as the sky! Yet Ahaz would not do it. He saw it as something negative. Yet we read in scripture that we are encouraged to ask. “Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you.” (Matthew 7:7) We also see throughout scripture that God uses things as signs of his covenant with mankind. One example is with Noah. God tells Noah, “I set my bow in the clouds to serve as a sign of the covenant between me and the earth.” (Genesis 9:13) When the world makes no sense we often seek a sign from God to help us see the good that can come from tragedy. Only when we turn to God can we transform tragedy into triumph. We can seek wisdom to understand or be angry at God and the world. We often ask God for a sign to know that our loved one is safe with him and He comes through.

“Such is the race that seeks for him, that seeks the face of the God of Jacob.” (Psalm 24:6) This psalm makes me think of all the people in the world who seek signs in everything but the Lord. I know we all feel lost at times but those of us who have opened our hearts to God often seek him for a sign, at times we plead for a sign. After my brother Kevin died in a motorcycle accident at the age of 25, we came across a notebook in his things that had notes and poetry that he wrote. This is part of one of his poems.

Life’s a mystery at least as far as I can see,

don’t understand why I’m here, not sure I want to be.

But who am I to wonder why, who am I to say,

Lord, what is my purpose, why am I here today?

Lord, give me strength, I need a reason to be

Show me the right way, Lord, help me to see.

It touched my heart because it spoke so eloquently of the pain that my brother felt, the same pain that I sometimes feel. It also makes me sad that I never knew that he was hurting this way. But we tend to keep these things hidden, we suffer in silence. We feel that if we doubt God then we don’t really love him. But that is part of being human. When Thomas doubted that Jesus had risen from the dead, Jesus didn’t chastise him he said, here Thomas let me show you, let me help you to believe by allowing you to place your fingers in my nail marks and your hand in my side. Let us open our hearts to the Lord and if we are doubting let us ask him for a sign to increase our faith.

As He Sees Fit

“So has the Lord done for me at a time when he sees fit…”  (Luke 1:25)

These are the words that Elizabeth speaks after she conceives a child in her womb. A woman who was barren and advanced in years bears a child who is destined for great things. We hear of a similar story in today’s first reading from the Book of Judges. An angel appears to the wife of Manoah and tells her, “Though you are barren and have had no children, yet you will conceive and bear a son…this boy is to be consecrated to God from the womb. It is he who will begin the deliverance of Israel from the power of the Philistines.” (Judges 13:3, 5)

God allows things to happen according to His plan, not ours.  Even though we know this it is often hard to wait. Sometimes we pray for something for so long and it seems that our prayer goes unanswered or that God’s answer is “No”. I am sure both of these women longed to have a baby and prayed for it to happen. Elizabeth even saw her inability to have children a “disgrace before others.” I am sure that once they reached the age at which they were no longer able to have children that they quit even praying for that. Yet, both conceived after the time that it was humanly possible. But we know that divine intervention is not bound by time or space. My husband and I had no trouble conceiving our first child but we longed to have more children. It took a couple of years to conceive another child only to miscarry the baby two months later and then a couple years to conceive again only to miscarry at 5 months. This was a very difficult time for us and while I wanted to conceive another child, I wasn’t sure that I could bear another miscarriage. My pregnancy with my second son was filled with much anxiety and fear. Years later when I began to read scripture I came across what would become one of my favorite passages, “I prayed for this child, and the LORD granted my request. Now I, in turn, give him to the LORD; as long as he lives, he shall be dedicated to the LORD.” (1 Samuel 1:27-28)

God heard my plea just as he did Samuel’s mother, Hannah; Manoah’s wife and Elizabeth. He hears all of our prayers. He is aware of every tear that we shed. God knows us more intimately than we know ourselves yet sometimes we feel that he is so far away. So I continue to pray for God to increase my faith, to remind myself that when things seem impossible, nothing is impossible for God. I pray for a faith like Elizabeth who knew that God allows things to happen when he sees fit and according to his purpose. 

Rejoice!

Rejoice in the Lord always, again I say rejoice! This is what the priest sang during his homily today. Gaudete Sunday is a time for rejoicing. We are drawing closer to Christmas and our hearts are full of anticipation. Reflecting on God’s love for us brings joy to our hearts, not joy that is a fleeting emotion connected with an event that is happening in our life. “True joy is linked to our relationship with God. Those who have encountered Christ in their own lives feel a serenity and joy in their hearts that no one and no situation can take from them. True joy is a gift, born from the encounter with the living Person of Jesus.”  ~ Pope Benedict XVI

A good friend’s mother is dying of cancer. I spoke with her last week about how her mother’s cancer is progressing rapidly and no treatments are working. We prayed that she would be well enough to enjoy this last Christmas with her family but things took a turn for the worse early this morning. She was hospitalized with a complication that is life-threatening. My heart is hurting for my dear friend, her mother and her family. My heart is also hurting because it brings back memories of my mother’s death from cancer. The holidays are hard for my family and I remember the last Christmas we had with my mom. Her cancer was still in check but I think she knew that it would be our last Christmas together. 

Yet, even in our sadness, there is joy in knowing that she is with our King. There is joy in knowing that God was with her as she passed from this life to eternal life. There is joy in knowing that God has walked with us as we dealt with her death and continues to walk with us in our grief. There is joy in knowing that I have the strength to walk with my friend through this terrible time in her life because God is with us. God gives us the courage to face these difficult times instead of falling into despair. His love doesn’t prevent our hearts from breaking or prevent us from experiencing tragedy but it does allow us to remain hopeful and to always rejoice in the Lord, again I say rejoice!

“Rejoice always. Pray without ceasing. In all circumstances give thanks, for this is the will of God for you in Christ Jesus.”  (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18)

Bringing Hope

 “’Original sin attempts to abolish fatherhood,…placing in doubt the truth about God who is Love and leaving man only with a sense of the master-slave relationship’ (Blessed John Paul II). John the Baptist, the new Elijah, removed our doubt and began to restore all things by turning our hearts back to the Father.”

~ Magnificat

We read in today’s first reading about Elijah. How he was destined “to put an end to wrath before the day of the LORD, to turn back the hearts of fathers toward their sons, and to re-establish the tribes of Jacob.” (Sirach 48:10)

God’s desire is for us to be in communion with him once again, to restore things to the way they were when he created man. Adam and Eve were in perfect communion with God until they chose to sin. They were deceived into believing that God was holding out on them, that they could actually be equal or maybe greater than God himself. The serpent was able to make them doubt God’s perfect love. Since that time God has been trying to restore that perfect relationship with man. In scripture we see over and over how God made a covenant with man and we, in our sinfulness, break the covenant. God’s entire relationship with mankind has been a series of covenants throughout the Old Testament and fulfilled by the New Covenant that is Jesus Christ. Each covenant expands on the previous one because mankind has broken his part of the promise. God always remains faithful, but we do not. And then God makes the ultimate sacrifice, he sends his only begotten Son to save us. During this Advent season we are called to meditate on the Incarnation of God himself. And each day we are called to make room for him in our hearts.

We have been hearing a lot about John the Baptist during the daily readings. He is the new Elijah and was placed on this earth to prepare the way for Jesus Christ. And now it is our turn. We are called to prepare the way for the second coming of our Lord. We are also called to go into our homes, schools, work place and communities and help the world understand that our Lord is coming to “judge the living and the dead.” But we aren’t called to stand on a street corner telling others to repent. We are called to help others understand the truth about the Lord’s coming through our actions. With the love of Christ, we are called to remove the mountains, clear away the stumbling blocks that prevent others from experiencing the love of Christ. We are called to be in the midst of the pain and suffering in our world just as Christ was. We are to unite ourselves with the humanity of Christ who humbly entered into the misery of life and sin out of love for each of us. When others are able to experience Christ here and now they will also begin to anticipate the coming of our Lord with hope. 

Such Faith

“Lord, I am not worthy to have you enter under my roof; only say the word and my servant will be healed… Amen, I say to you, in no one in Israel have I found such faith.” (Matthew 8:8, 10)

Obviously the centurion knew who Jesus was and what he was capable of doing because he approached Jesus with confidence, telling him about his servant at home who was suffering. The heart of the centurion was also full of love in order for him to seek out Jesus to heal his servant. His words to Jesus not only speak of his faith in the healing power of Jesus but also of his humility. Just as John the Baptist proclaimed, “I baptize with water; but there is one among you whom you do not recognize, the one who is coming after me, whose sandal strap I am not worthy to untie” (John 1:26-27); the centurion states that he is not worthy for Jesus to enter his home. This is the perfect example of the disposition our hearts need to be in, having faith enough to approach Christ and believing that he is capable of all things but also acknowledging that we are not worthy to even loosen the strap of his sandal.

This story also reminds me of the power of intercessory prayer and the impact our faith can have on one another. We don’t know if the servant believed in Jesus or if he knew that his master was going to seek Jesus to heal him. But it didn’t matter, it was the centurion’s faith that Jesus was amazed by and his faith that allowed his servant to be healed. We see this same result with the healing of the paralytic in Mark’s gospel. The paralytic is carried to Jesus by four men. They were unable to get near Jesus so they climbed on the roof, opened it up and lowered their friend down in front of Him. “When Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralytic, ‘Child, your sins are forgiven’… He rose, picked up his mat at once, and went away in the sight of everyone.” (Mark 2:5, 12) It was the faith that Jesus saw in these four men, that lead him to heal the paralytic.

Living out our faith and allowing other’s to see God working in our lives will help lead others to Christ. We are called to love one another and in doing so we need to pray for one another and ask the Lord to intervene even if the person doesn’t believe. Jesus said to the centurion, “You may go; as you have believed, let it be done for you.” (Matthew 8:13) And at that very moment his servant was healed. Those who witnessed this interaction between Jesus and the centurion came to understand that God’s healing love knows no boundaries. Jesus didn’t need to be in the presence of the servant in order to heal him. These people were forever changed after witnessing the power of the centurion’s faith. We, too, can forever change the lives of others by allowing them to witness our faith in Christ Jesus.