This is a reflection on the Mass readings of the day.
Many of our Advent readings these days look not only toward the actual birth of Jesus, but rather more broadly, to the ushering in of the era of the Messiah.
We are in that era now, but it is not yet come to completion. Thus, the prophetic readings from the Old Testament that depict images of abundance, of all troubles being mended, resonate with us as partly fulfilled, and partly not.
As we delve deeply into our experience with Christ through a faithful habit of substantial daily time spent in prayer (more than just a couple of minutes strung together each day), we learn how, while He is demanding of us, He also comes into our hearts and heals our wounds, giving us joy and hope for the day and for our lives.
Still, then, as we go about living our daily life in this broken world, we realize again that the full Messianic promise of a new heaven and a new earth, where suffering is at an end, is far from definitive fulfillment.
Like the first disciples, we are part of the advancement of Jesus’ Messianic mission, and like them, He asks us to support Him by going out and “casting out demons”–helping our fellow humans to encounter and welcome His healing and transforming action in their souls.
So, all that is foreseen in the Advent readings is not something that happened in a cave two thousand years ago in Bethlehem. All that is foreseen in these readings is a reality that is the reality of our era, in which we are co-protagonists. It is awesome to consider that all of the hope expressed in Advent is still in the process of being brought to fulfillment in our time, right here, right now.
Ideas for conversation with the Lord: Imagine yourself in Jerusalem, before the birth of Christ. Imagine yourself in a typical early Middle-Eastern stone building, sitting on a rug on the floor, eating a meal. The Messiah has not yet come. God feels distant. But you are hopeful that one day very soon, God will invade the world and begin His work of transformation. Imagine your anticipation and hope. Now, talk to Jesus about His plan for our current century. How is He striving to further His work of salvation and of transformation within today’s humanity?
Follow the Author on Twitter:Follow @mvhaywilliams