Lately I have been pondering what I’m supposed to be anticipating during this season of Advent. I can, of course, fall back on the conventional answer: the birth of Jesus, the arrival of the Christ child. But what does that mean? Does that make any difference in the world where I live? Not much, if I insist on waiting for God at a safe distance.

When I read the story of Mary’s experience (in the gospel of Luke) I am left with the impression that she wasn't anticipating the appearance of God’s messenger nor prepared for the news that she was to be the “God bearer”. I think the anticipation, the “watching and waiting”, began only after she gave her consent to be part of what God was doing in the world.

I believe my problem is not really an issue of ability but of willingness. God is always coming to us. It is easy to miss because it is so radical, beyond our normal categories of interpretation. The presence of God, God-with-us, turns the acceptable, the normal and customary upside down. I can only experience that if I am willing to say “Yes” to God and become part of the story.

“Blessed are you who are the poor, for yours is the kingdom of God”.

A couple of years ago I invited a friend to Church. I wanted to learn what newcomers experienced when they visited our parish for the first time.  After the service I took this young family out to lunch so they could share their first impressions. Their comments were positive for the most part. However, one of their observations really stuck with me. They said, “We didn't notice any poor people”.

When I reflect on my experience in various Churches over the years I can remember only one where poor and homeless folks attended on a regular basis. I do not mention that as a criticism of any particular Church or tradition. Instead, it raises some very difficult questions for me.

Would I be comfortable worshiping with people who are different than me? Would I welcome such people into Church? Am I ready to go beyond the church doors and out into the real world to befriend people who suffer poverty and homelessness? I don't think they need my help or friendship as much as I need to listen to them and hear the gospel of God’s kingdom. After all, Jesus said it belongs to them.

Listening

“Let anyone who has an ear listen to what the Spirit is saying to the Churches”. I have heard those words hundreds of times but I have never given much thought to what it means to have an “ear to listen”. I know that I am often guilty of “selective hearing”, (hearing only what I want to hear and filtering out everything else). It is a bad habit, especially in the dimension of the Spirit.

But I am trying, learning to be attentive and to listen in a different way. I am learning to listen closely to my life and the lives of those around me. It is difficult. It requires patience because I have to move beyond the shallow and superficial and struggle to understand an unfamiliar language. It takes courage because I have to wait as other hearts and souls whisper or speak or scream out things that are not easy to embrace but are definitely honest-to-God truth.

What I am hearing the Spirit say through lives and hearts these days is: “I am doing something new”. It is not a threat. It is not a condemnation of what has been or is now. It is not an affirmation that a few people have been “right” all along while the rest of us have been terribly “wrong”. It is an invitation to be a part of something new and to risk being transformed in the process.