December 11/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
Something in our human nature is irresistibly drawn towards the negative. We react to a new idea by poking holes in it. We respond to a proposed solution to a problem by pointing out its weaknesses and flaws. We reply to an invitation to do something different from our usual pattern by saying “no.” Challenged by novel circumstances or a new situation, we may feel threatened and even overwhelmed — and we assert control by reacting with negativity, often excessively so. That one small word, “No,”allows us to keep at bay the feelings of powerlessness that we are experiencing — particularly these days. Confronted with the life-altering message and person of Jesus, the contemporary religious leaders react with just such negativity as they strive to push off Christ’s summons to a new path. Before them are two models of 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 will do, since either demands a radical alteration to the old manner 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 push him away. But now, more than ever, the world needs those who will say “Yes,” not “No,” to the call of Christ.
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.
For today’s readings, click here: https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/121120.cfm
To hear the Mormon Tabernacle Choir sing “Come, Thou Fount of Every Blessing,” click here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gPKpkrqBwNs
