Are you excited? Did you get it? What, you say? Your gift, your early Christmas gift from Jesus. It was right there, in his conversation this morning, the third day of Advent:
“Turning to the disciples in private he said, “Blessed are the eyes that see what you see. For I say to you, many prophets and kings desired to see what you see, but did not see it, and to hear what you hear, but did not hear it.” (Lk 10:23-24)
Oops, maybe you didn’t recognize that it was a gift. You’re kidding, right? Of all the people in the world, those who believe and those who don’t, He just put it in your lap. YOU are the special child, the one who gets stuff that none of the other kids can have. You and I get the secret decoder ring. We actually get to know stuff about God and His nature that others have wished for and never got! Despite your state in life you and I, his disciples, have been gifted with privileged information that people of power and wealth have longed for. Hitler searched in vain for the Ark. Napoleon, too, thought that if He located that sacred relic it would give him power and information to rule the world. Millionaires have all but bankrupted themselves scouring the earth for the Holy Grail.
So, what have you done, then to receive the gift in a worthy fashion? It is Advent and we were charged in the first readings of the season to “be prepared” and to “stay awake”. In that context, did this spectacular gift just pass you by? In all of scripture which tells us that we are: adopted, equal, loved, valued, purchased by the blood, children of the most high there is no other passage that informs God’s picture of who we are as clearly as this one does. God has equipped us to fight for the kingdom by investing his secrets and love in us. We have knowledge that others long for. The knowledge has been invested in us, his little ones. What is it that God knows about each of us that makes us worth the investment?
The fact that we are clearly reminded we have this early gift is not a mistake. Advent is the time of preparation. This is the part of the year when the coming of our Lord hovers over the whole world. Sometimes it is disguised by tinsel, corny music, materialism, greed. No matter how you perceive it, though, this anticipation of His coming is everywhere. We are clearly reminded that as receivers of this early gift we are charged with making the most of this time for the world. Use your secret knowledge to teach, witness, refute materialism, remind others that it is Jesus who is really shaping the narrative. That what God’s gifts are for. The Father never bestows a gift that will not return to him multiplied. Pay attention, your opportunities for dividends are everywhere!
Copyright© 2016, Kathryn M. Cunningham
Kathryn M. Cunningham
Kathryn holds a Master’s in Education from Saint Xavier University. Most recently she completed Master of Arts in Pastoral Studies from The Catholic Theological Union in Chicago. This recent degree was part of a “retirement project” after teaching for 35 years. She has also worked as a spiritual director, music minister,council member and prayer team warrior. Kathryn has a deep interest in catechesis for the people in the pews. As a “sort of” convert she finds the wisdom of the Church a source for encouragement, joy and survival in a world not sure of anything. Her writing has appeared in diocesan publications and on-line sites, most recently for Zenit. To learn more about Kathryn check out her thinking at: www.atravelersview.org">ATravelersView.org.
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