December 14/Second Saturday of Advent
As they were coming down from the mountain, the disciples asked Jesus, “Why do the scribes say that Elijah must come first?” ~ Matt 17.9a-10
It is well and good for us to set aside dedicated time every day to pray, but we don’t have to stop there. Weaving an ethic of awareness of God’s presence into the fabric of every day allows us to have an ongoing conversation with our Lord. The 17th-century Carmelite monk Brother Lawrence endeavored throughout his life to practice the presence of God, writing: “We ought to act with God in the greatest simplicity, speaking to Him frankly and plainly, and imploring His assistance in our affairs, just as they happen.” When we encounter a difficult problem at work or experience a happy family moment, we can quietly pray, “God, can you help me untangle this problem with my colleague?” or “God, thank you for the gift of my teenager’s good mood this morning.” Prayer is, after all, simply a relationship with the One who is always there, and it can occur at any point in the day. The disciples in today’s Gospel pose their questions to Christ while coming down from the mountain of the transfiguration — a glorious and confounding event. We can imagine them walking down the slope, picking their way through the dust and scrabble of the path, still shaken from this transformational event in which their leader stood with Moses and Elijah and was sanctified by God. Despite the grandeur of that revelation, Christ remained accessible to his disciples. So, too, will he be available to us in the plateaus, peaks, and valleys of our lives, sharing the mundane moments as well as the joys and sorrows. As the martyred El Salvadoran Archbishop Oscar Romero wrote, He is “the God who converses with us.”
O Lord, who lifts up his people in friendship, May I practice awareness of your presence at all times, and speak to you early and often each day. Amen.
For today’s readings, click here: http://www.usccb.org/bible/readings/121419.cfm
