Saturday of the Second Week in Advent
Intention: That all people will embrace the story of the birth of the Christ Child as a call to increase our attention to the needs of children throughout the world.
Today’s Gospel | Matthew 17: 9a, 10-13
As they were coming down from the mountain, the disciples asked Jesus, “Why do the scribes say that Elijah must come first?” He said in reply, “Elijah will indeed come and restore all things; but I tell you that Elijah has already come, and they did not recognize him but did to him whatever they pleased. So also will the Son of Man suffer at their hands.” Then the disciples understood that he was speaking to them of John the Baptist.
A Reflection for the Second Saturday of Advent
One of the unhappy effects of our society’s tendency to define freedom primarily in terms of the individual is that it unravels our understanding of human fulfillment. We order our lives around a worldview that considers community to be at best a socio-economic strategy, and at worst a conformist conspiracy. In an era of fear over what “they” are doing, perhaps the real problem is that we have reached a point where we know others only as “they”. We make strangers of our brothers and sisters and then mistrust the unfamiliarity, diminishing both them and ourselves. Marilynne Robinson wrote, “To value one another is our greatest safety, and to indulge in fear and contempt is our gravest error.” The time of Advent is a time to realize that our redemption lies completely in our relationships, in the acceptance, compassion, and dignity that we give to and receive from one another.
Prayer
Eternal Father, as we prepare during this Advent to celebrate the gift of our Lord, we remember that he taught us to live lives of faith, mercy, and justice, with peace in our hearts and with goodwill to all. You call us to walk in the ways of humility, trust, and compassion. For us, redemption is a grace that we come to together, and that we receive as one people in you. May we always be mindful of our need for one another and you. We ask this of you who lives and reigns with your Son and the Holy Spirit, one God, forever and ever. Amen.