December 15/Second Friday of Advent
Jesus said to the crowd: “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.’” ~ Matt 11.16-19
It’s often the path of least resistance to say no, isn’t it? A colleague proposes a new approach at work and we point out its flaws. A family member comes up with a novel idea for a vacation and we poke holes in it. A friend invites us out of our comfort zone into a new group of people or a new setting, and we politely decline. Challenged by unfamiliar circumstances or a new situation, we may feel threatened and even overwhelmed — and we assert control by retreating, by resisting change, by reacting with negativity. As every two-year-old knows, that two-letter word, “No,” is a powerful one, helping both preserve the illusion of control and fend off feelings of powerlessness in challenging times. Confronted with the life-altering message and person of Jesus, the contemporary religious leaders react with just such negativity as they push away his summons to a new path. They are presented with two models of the path to holiness: the spartan asceticism of John the Baptist, who came “neither eating nor drinking,” and the joyful companionability of Jesus, who ate, drank, and befriended sinners. In their eyes, neither is acceptable, since each demands a radical alteration to the old way of doing business. And so they dismiss John’s self-denying ways as demonic and criticize Jesus’s exuberant embrace of food and fellowship as self-indulgence and gluttony. In this unsettled time, how do we respond to Jesus’ invitation? Already beset by so much change and uncertainty in our daily lives, we may be tempted to hunker down and resist his challenging call to change, to grow, to follow him. But now, more than ever, the world needs those who will say “Yes,” not “No,” to the call of Christ. What will your answer be?
Gracious Lord, Help me overcome my tendency to say no to the new or the unfamiliar, and make me receptive to your life-giving call. Amen.
To hear the Guildford Cathedral Choir sing “O Jesus, I Have Promised,” click here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YjmWZ49pnGY
For today’s readings, click here: https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/121523.cfm
