December 8/Second Wednesday of Advent
Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception
The Lord God called out to the man and said to him, “Where are you?” He replied, “I heard the sound of You in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked, so I hid.” ~ Gen 3.9-10
Then Mary said, “Here am I, the servant of the Lord; let it be with me according to your word.” ~ Luke 1.38
It is easy to imagine the pit-in-the-stomach feeling that Adam and Eve experienced as they heard God calling them in the garden that day. Like them, when we hear the sound of God in our lives, our first instinct may be to hide. We don’t want to be put on the spot, or put to the test. We are afraid of what God may want to know about us – our egoistic management of our lives, our unhealthy proclivities, the shames we tuck away. We are afraid of what an encounter with God may reveal about us – to care for the vulnerable, to focus more on others than on ourselves, to give more than we receive. And so when God seeks us out to have a chat in the garden, we crouch behind the nearest bush, hoping to elude him. But there is nowhere to go. As the psalmist sang, “You search out my path and my lying down, and are acquainted with all my ways.” We would do better to take our cue not from the First Couple, but from Mary, who when sought out by God, assented to being both put on the spot and put to the test by the seemingly outrageous proposition that she become the mother of God. When we hear God rustling around in our lives, we can try to hide in the forest of obligations, errands, or responsibilities, or take refuge in the groves of the Internet and social media, as we strive to avoid the baring of our selfishness, pettiness, unkindness, self-absorption, or other personal failings. Or we can stand before God as who we are, seek his forgiving love, and surrender to his transforming will for our lives. And we can do this trusting that with God, nothing will truly be impossible.
Lord of all creation, Grant me the courage to place myself, soul and body, into the light of your presence. Amen.
For today’s readings, click here: https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/120821.cfm
To hear The Tallis Scholars sing “Alma Redemptoris Mater” by Palestrina, click here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6PSRWWBz61g
