December 10/Second Tuesday of Advent
If a man has a hundred sheep and one of them goes astray, will he not leave the ninety-nine in the hills and go in search of the stray? ~ Matt 18.12
What if you are that stray sheep? Perhaps you have gradually drifted off from the flock of your friends, family, and faith community a few steps at a time, not paying attention to how far away you’ve wandered. Or, in keeping with an age that worships individualism and autonomy, you may have intentionally and stubbornly set out on your own, claiming the right to determine the course of your life. However it happens, at some point, you may look around and realized that you have lost your bearings, and that there are a lot of unfriendly beasts out there in the world. How can you find your way back? The short answer is: you can’t. The longer answer is: you can’t, and you need not. Instead of collapsing in despair or yielding to panic, you need only stop, breathe, collect yourself, and call out to the Shepherd who loves you and knows your markings. In the midst of the confusion and isolation we experience during those times in our lives when we lose our way, it can be hard to wait patiently for the God whom American poet John Berryman (using the Hebrew term for the LORD) calls the “Adonai of rescue.” What if God doesn’t notice we’re gone? What if God doesn’t come when we cry out? What if God has forgotten us? If we call to him and await his coming instead of plowing forward on a misguided path, we will hear the voice of Jesus say, as the beautiful hymn has it, “Come unto me and rest; lay down thy weary head, lay down thy head upon my breast.”
Lord God, Steadfast shepherd of your flock, Grant that, when I am lost and alone, I may wait with patient trust for you to find me. Amen.
To hear the Manchester Cathedral choir singing “I Heard the Voice of Jesus Say,” click here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6rr_4M5LQLo
For today’s readings, click here: http://www.usccb.org/bible/readings/121019.cfm
