Friday of the Second Week of 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 11:16-19
Jesus said to the crowds: “To what shall I compare this generation? It is like children who sit in marketplaces and call to one another, ‘We played the flute for you, but you did not dance, we sang a dirge but you did not mourn.’ For John came neither eating nor drinking, and they said, ‘He is possessed by a demon.’ The Son of Man came eating and drinking and they said, ‘Look, he is a glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners.’ But wisdom is vindicated by her works.”
A Short Reflection for the Second Friday of Advent
In the field of psychology, “confirmation bias” is the label given to the reactionary behavior of accepting as valid only that information which confirms our existing beliefs or ideas. And it often leads to another reactionary practice known as “cancel culture”, where whatever or whoever one disagrees with is to be dismissed, perhaps even eliminated. In his ministry, Jesus often had to deal with this. Persons whose egocentric expectations or purposes he did not meet first railed against his message and then rejected him, feeling so threatened by the truth he spoke that his very existence would become unacceptable to them. Today, we are seeing the same forces at work. Polarization of persons according to differing socio-political ideologies and religious beliefs is destroying our ability to live cooperatively and to act creatively. People are replacing reality with a wall of distorted pictures taken through lenses of ignorance, resentment, and fear. It is a horrible place to be and it is not where we were ever meant to be. Perhaps this Advent could be the time when we finally choose to make our way out. We can decide what we will do to walk away from crippling darkness and into healing light. We can answer God’s call to change our hearts and change our times, to build a world where all of us can know each other once again.
Prayer
Eternal Father, we never know how or when your call to serve you will find us. Teach us to recognize you in all of the different ways that you speak to us each day, and to respond with openness and trust. Help us to grow in our commitment to being ambassadors of your presence and instruments of your good news. In this time of Advent, may we learn to better listen for the sound of your voice, and may your Word take root in our minds and hearts. We ask this of you who lives and reigns with your Son and the Holy Spirit, one God, forever and ever. Amen.