"TO SEE WHAT YOU SEE AND
TO HEAR WHAT YOU HEAR"
TO HEAR WHAT YOU HEAR"
"Justice shall flourish in his time, and fullness of
peace forever" (cf Ps 72:7).
Today's readings
should be a comfort to us. We have a tender image of the trusting child leading
dangerous animals and we think of the Christmas scene with the Christ Child in
the manger. Not only do we prepare to celebrate the birth of Jesus, but Advent
also calls us to look ahead and prepare for the coming of Christ in glory at
the end of time. Throughout this great season the Church directs us in
remembering we are preparing for the "Advent" of Christ in the
fullness of His mystery. We are deeply touched by the incredible humility of
God becoming flesh in a tiny infant. But we also recognize that the Word of God
becomes flesh, not just to touch our hearts, but to restore the world and
everything in it to its true goodness. Christ Jesus came as a baby and will
come in glory on the last day, but Jesus also comes every day to guide us and
keep us on the right path to our heavenly Father.
Someone once asked me,
"Unless today the Word be made flesh, who would hear it?" One of the
greatest mysteries of the Incarnation is Jesus Christ uniting Himself to us so
closely that we ourselves become members of His Body. In the Gospel of Luke,
Jesus rejoices and praises His heavenly Father. And what does Jesus' prayer
tell us about God and about ourselves? First, it tells us that God is the
Father and Lord of both heaven and earth. He is both Creator and Author of all
that He has made; the first origin of everything, and at the same time,
goodness and loving care for all of us. All fatherhood and motherhood are derived
from Him (cf Eph 3:14-15).
Jesus also tells us to
stay away from pride, which can keep us from love and true knowledge of God. He
tells us to be simple of heart like "babes" who are totally
dependent, and put our trust in God who gives us wisdom and strength. Jesus has
made it possible for us to personally know God as our Father. To see Jesus is
to see and hear who God is. In Jesus we see the perfect love of our Heavenly
Father.
Today's Responsorial
Psalm is a prayer for justice: "Justice shall flourish in his time, and
fullness of peace forever" (cf Ps 72:7). We hunger for just structures, for
social awareness and concern for people, especially those around us each day.
Just as Jesus told His disciples, He also tells us today, "Blessed are the
eyes that see what you see, but did not see it, and to hear what you hear, but
did not hear it." That's a big "Yes!"