An Advent Reflection

"Kindness and truth shall meet;

Justice and Peace shall kiss"

Truth shall spring from the earth and justice will

look down from heaven" (Ps 85:11-12)

The meeting of the Sacred and the profane (earthly) holds the potential for revelation. The Sacred touches our life in so many ways, yet it requires a watchfulness and attentiveness and a receptivity on our part if we are to experience what God intends for us to discover. The mystery of the Incarnation: the Word becoming flesh and dwelling in our midst, sharing in every detail of our human existence, is the most profound example of the meeting of Sacred with profane (what is of earth). This is the fullness (fulfillment) of the revelation of God to humankind that had its beginning in the Old Testament.

In your own effort to become familiar with the word of God in Scripture, the Sacred encountered the human struggle that is present in each of us and through much effort and faithfulness to the task there came to you a deepening awareness of God, a disclosure of the ways of God. We see such meetings of Sacred and profane taking place often in the Bible. God's word encounters chaos and the goodness of creation is the result. The barrenness of Sarai encounters the Sacred and life mysteriously extends to all generations. The Sacred lifts the burden from the backs of slaves and they are free to go home.

The Paschal Mystery begins to be formed out of these reversals of expectations. God meets us in the midst of the human condition and confirms the paradoxical aspect of the divine perspective: the Sacred meets death and out of it gives life! This Paschal story really begins at Christmas and is anticipated in the season of Advent! How often are we surprised by the way God seems to imagine things? If attending daily Mass during Advent is not possible, try to do the daily readings and listen to the Sacred word as it is heard in the midst of your busy days. What is it about this "word of God expressed in the words of human writers" that leaves us perennially hopeful? The surprises, the reversals, the unexpected, the impossible; the Sacred comes to us here and fills us with hope.

My prayer for you this Advent is that you will be aware of the Sacred that daily touches your life in many ways. Above all, listen for this in the words of Scripture. You have labored to bring this Sacred word to life for yourself. May it renew you and bring you peace and joyful hope this Advent and Christmas season. -- Barbara Shanahan