The past four weeks of Advent, the prophets directed our attention to what God said the people needed to change about the way they were living, that is, if they were to experience the kind of life for which God had created them and for which their hearts yearned—to experience “tidings of comfort and joy.”
The way the people were living each day, the prophets said, evidenced what might be likened to a “spiritual cancer.” This disease was eating away at and slowly destroying their souls even though, from all external “this worldly” appearances, the people looked perfectly fine. In fact, life never seemed to be better and, it appeared at the time, those good times would never end. Yet, below the false front, the people were desperate—sad, unhappy, frustrated, and unfulfilled.
What the prophets prescribed for this spiritual malady wasn’t the equivalent of ibuprofen or acetaminophen that would numb the symptoms of the disease—those feelings of desperation. Yes, they should feel happy, they reasoned. But, never really living their days as God intended for them—the equivalent of mixing the ingredients for a cake but not licking the spatula or bowl, they needed a heavy-duty regime of “other worldly” chemotherapy to eliminate the disease.
The prophets were proclaiming “tidings of comfort and joy” and this regime required experiencing “Emmanuel”—the Hebrew name for God meaning “God’s [essence] is with us.” Then, the antidote would make it possible for the people to live each day in the conscious awareness that “God is with us” and, returning to spiritual health, to experience comfort and joy.
We discovered over the past four weeks that if “sleepy” Catholics today worry about anything, it’s the symptoms not the disease. Imperfect as they have been and continue to be, “sleepy” Catholics have concluded from the symptoms of their feelings of desperation and just making it through each day that God is not with them. For “sleepy” Catholics, God exists somewhere way, way “out there” on the peripheries of their days—a sterile concept deserving of little or no consideration—not “in here”—a living experience—smackdab in the center of their days.
That’s the God’s honest truth: The prophets have reminded us that all of us are “sleepy” Catholics to one degree or another who imperfectly translate what may be our good intentions to bring God into the center of our days. The evidence is that we’re always putting off to tomorrow what we could have done today to bring God into the center from the peripheries. So, the struggle this past season of Advent was to be vigilant about living in the “end time”—recalling the fact “I will die” each morning—because our goal is to be eternal—united with God in Heaven—not immortal—buried and left behind as dust in the Earth, as the Jews in the Kingdom of Israel and “sleepy” Catholics will discover, much to their eternal chagrin.
So, we struggled to live as “WOKE” Catholics do by practicing this “memento mori” upon awaking from our sleep each morning of Advent to “prepare the way of the Lord.” This spiritual exercise challenged us to contemplate the day lying ahead by identifying precisely what we needed to do that day so our lives would “sing joyfully before the Lord” as authentically “WOKE” Catholics. Then we prayed “Behold, I come to do your will.”
To sing that song, we arose from the comfort of our beds, washed up as if we were experiencing our baptism all over again, and dressed up so people would experience the glory of “Emmanuel” radiating through us. We set out and travelled out of our homes and into the day in haste, like Mary, to bring “tidings of comfort and joy” to those who are merely surviving in what’s really “hill country” not the place “sleepy” Catholics fantasize it to be, feeling desperate because they truly believe God’s essence isn’t with them. Having pushed God to the periphery of their days, they wonder how God could possibly love them?
Then, as we moved through each day, our hearts were moved with pity for those people who have pushed God to the periphery of their days. Imitating Jesus whenever he performed miracle, we offered them an experience of Emmanuel. Free of anxiety, feeling confident and unafraid, and giving thanks to God because God is with us and has anointed us to bring “tidings of comfort and joy” to the poor, the song our lives sang this past season of Advent wasn’t anything dramatic or an extraordinary, Grammy worthy performance. It was just a simple miracle like offering the spiritually impoverished a generous dose of compassion, understanding, and love.
Reflecting back, notice what we made possible: God offered a glimmer of hope to those whose spirits were impoverished to the point they’ve been desperate, worn out by burdens of just making it through each day, having concluded that God is absent from their lives, and experiencing little or no “joy and gladness.” Even if only for a moment, they lifted up their hearts and they gave thanks because God is with us!
In this way, each of us awoke from being “sleepy Catholics this past season of Advent and “prepared the way of the Lord…[so] all flesh shall see the salvation of God.” We made each day “holy” and made it possible for God to perform the Christmas miracle: God became incarnate and the people we went out of our way to meet experienced “Emmanuel.” This is how God brings salvation to all, changes lives, renews history, liberates from evil, and fills hearts with Christmas peace and joy.
“How beautiful upon the mountains are feet of those who bring glad tidings of comfort and joy, announcing peace, bearing good news, and announcing salvation.” Having woken from our sleep and living in the awareness that “God is with us” and bringing that gift to others, Isaiah reminded us in today’s first reading, “No more shall people call you ‘Forsaken’ or your land ‘Desolate,’ but God rejoices in you can calls you ‘My Delight’.”
In today’s gospel, St. John also reminded us that all this was to fulfill what the Lord had said through the Isaiah: “…they shall name him Emmanuel, which means “God is with us.” And for “those who did accept him, he gave power to become children of God, to those who believe in his name, who were born not by natural generation nor by human choice nor by a man’s decision but of God.” God has chosen to make us His children and we’ve come to know this through our personal experience because “Emmanuel”—God is with us...and becomes incarnate in this world through us. We’ve seen it with our very eyes and it is wonderful to behold!
That represents our challenge from Scripture this Christmas Day: To rejoice and be glad because the Word has made his dwelling in us and is made flesh in this world through us—lift up your hearts and give thanks to the Lord our God Who is with us! Rejoice and be glad!
Today is the day—Christmas Day—when God reminds us that each and every one of us—even the worst among us—is so very precious in God’s eyes. Unlike us, God’s love isn’t fickle nor is it contingent upon our efforts but is unconditional, unchanging, faithful, and patient. Today is the day the Lord has made for each of us who “prepared the way of the Lord” to rejoice and be glad.
Accepting this gift of God’s grace means today—Christmas Day—is the day to say “Thank you” to God and for this wonderful gift that has brought healing to our spiritual disease through the spiritual chemotherapy regime of Emmanuel the prophets prescribed so very long ago.
That’s it! No work today. Just rejoice and be glad resting in the awareness that God is with us and is made incarnate through us.
Sunday—the Feast of the Holy Family of Jesus, Mary, and Joseph—will be the day to begin anew to become “WOKE” Catholics by redoubling efforts to continue becoming this divine gift to others—allowing God to become incarnate in us—so that every member of our family will experience Emmanuel and the divine purpose of their lives.
For authentically “WOKE” Catholics, this is the only Way, the only Truth, and the only Life that’s capable of bringing bring joy to the world so that heaven and nature will sing joyfully before the Lord, as our families live each and every day in peace on earth and full of good will toward all.
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