December 9/Second Monday 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’s easy to imagine the pit-in-the-stomach feeling that Adam and Eve experienced as they heard God calling them in the garden. Like the First Couple, when we hear the voice of God in our lives, our first instinct may be to hide. We may fear what a genuine, face-to-face encounter with God will lay bare about us – our selfishness, our pride, our indifference to the needs of others, the shames we try to tuck away out of sight. And so we crouch behind the nearest bush, hoping to elude him. When it comes to evading God, modern life offers many hiding places. The pace and press of business mean that we never can “find the time” for spiritual reading or reflection; we avoid the peril of silence by focusing on the ever-available phones in our pockets; we resist the pull to prayer by binging on the latest season of Stranger Things or Bridgerton. This may work for a while, but sooner or later, the distractions and avoidance mechanisms may leave us restless and dissatisfied. Mary shows us another way. When God’s messenger seeks her out, she trusts God’s goodness, and lets herself be put on the spot and put to the test by the confusing and unsettling proposition that she become the mother of the Christ. When we hear God rustling around in our lives, we can hide in the forest of obligations, errands, or responsibilities, or dive into the thickets of the Internet and social media, as we strive to avoid the baring of our personal failings. Or we can stand before God in all our imperfection, 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/120924.cfm
To hear the Parschauer Sisters sing “You Cannot Hide from God,” click here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4OycWAr934Y
