Memorial of Saint Lucy, Virgin and Martyr
Intention: That in this season of hospitality and generosity, all of us will make a special place for those whose lives are wounded by need, misfortune or injustice.
Today’s Gospel | Matthew 21:23-27
When Jesus had come into the temple area, the chief priests and the elders of the people approached him as he was teaching and said, “By what authority are you doing these things? And who gave you this authority?” Jesus said to them in reply, “I shall ask you one question, and if you answer it for me, then I shall tell you by what authority I do these things. Where was John’s baptism from? Was it of heavenly or of human origin?” They discussed this among themselves and said, “If we say ‘Of heavenly origin,’ he will say to us, ‘Then why did you not believe him?’ But if we say, ‘Of human origin,’ we fear the crowd, for they all regard John as a prophet.” So they said to Jesus in reply, “We do not know.” He himself said to them, “Neither shall I tell you by what authority I do these things.”
A Short Reflection for the Third Monday of Advent
A popular topic of social commentators these days is their observation that we are living in “post-truth” times, that is, times in which facts are dismissed whenever they are inconvenient to one’s biases or emotions. Only what one agrees with matters and only those with whom one agrees are respected. Now, random individuals thinking that their personal agenda defines reality is nothing new. However, when there is a concerted effort by those in positions of authority or influence to normalize it, this poses a definite threat to a community’s moral foundation. In today’s Gospel, Jesus is confronted by religious leaders who challenge him because his spirituality does not conform with theirs. His response is to expose their connivance by asking them to do the one thing that he knew they could not: simply tell the truth. In any quest for power, the sanctity of honesty is almost always the first casualty. And, in the midst of corruption, redemption begins with its restoration. On the first Christmas, wanderers and seekers welcomed truth’s arrival into the world. May this Advent see each of us answer God’s call to welcome truth back into our thinking and into our doing.
Prayer
Eternal Father, we always are in your presence, but sometimes we dwell too much on romanticized images of you and so then do not see you. As we remember how your Son first came to us in unassuming simplicity, help us to recognize you in our ordinary encounters. May we know you through all of the sights and sounds of everyday life, open to your time and to your ways as you show us the real world for which you want us to care. We ask this of you who lives with your Son and the Holy Spirit, one God, forever and ever. Amen.