Matthew
11: 11 Truly I tell you, among those born of women no one has arisen greater
than John the Baptist; yet the least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than
he.
Last week I wrote about John learning
to be in the present moment in the desert – a spiritually romantic idea until
you try it. How hard it is to be in the moment when many of your present
moments are far from gratifying. But in this season of Advent, a time when we
are called to open ourselves to the coming of the Lord and to being changed, we
need to understand that it is in the present moment that we need to stop, pay
attention, ponder and allow ourselves to be changed enough to be open to what
is right in front of us. The present moment can redirect us, transform us,
simplify us and teach us the mystery of the kind of quiet joy an unrecognized
newborn infant in a manger can offer.
It is in the present moment that we are
called to discover how rejoicing is both a strong perspective and a persevering
attitude, not necessarily a reaction and not necessarily an emotion. Being rejoicing
people doesn’t mean we are never sad, angry, overwhelmed, frustrated, afraid or
grieving. It means that after honestly experiencing the emotions that assail
us, there is a determined turning to the truth that God is present in every
moment of every day. This is metanoia: turning from self-focus and self-effort
to watch for and anticipate the coming salvation of God.
This is Gaudete Sunday. The entrance
antiphon says, “Rejoice in the Lord always; again I say, rejoice! The Lord
is near.” Elsewhere in scripture the psalmist says, “This is the day
that the Lord has made, we will rejoice and be glad in it.” Today is the
day…not tomorrow, not yesterday but today. This day, this moment, is when you
should be watching and not just during the four weeks before Christmas. In the antiphon,
Paul was exhorting the Christians to always rejoice because every day is
the day of the Lord and the Lord isn’t just near, he is here!
Even in the desert? Yes, even in the
desert. Isaiah prophesies, “The wilderness and the dry land shall be glad,
the desert shall rejoice and blossom … Strengthen the weak hands and make firm
the feeble knees. Say to those who are of a fearful heart, 'Here is your God.'”
Notice that he didn’t say gladness,
rejoicing and blossoming would happen once one is out of the desert. The desert
itself was the place that would be transformed in Isaiah’s prophecy. So making
great efforts to get out of the desert may cause you to miss metanoia:
transformation, change and going beyond your limited mind. Stay awhile. Pay
attention. Repent. Rejoice.
We are all called to be consecrated
members of the Royal Priesthood and here’s something else we are all called to
be: prophets. Prophets don’t necessarily foretell anything; they are simply
those who speak God’s word as God gives it to them to speak. It is in the
desert wilderness that you will learn about the God who desires to speak
through you. Are you unsure that you could possibly be called to be a
prophet? In the Gospel this week, Jesus says, “Truly I tell you, among
those born of women, no one has arisen greater than John the Baptist; yet the least of the Kingdom of heaven
is greater than he.”
John was the last prophet of the Old
Testament and Christ’s death on the cross ushered in a new age and a new
covenant. Jesus was saying that in the new order of things in the Kingdom, every one of us is called to be a prophet and because we have received
the baptism of Christ and the blood of Christ has redeemed us, we have a
greater ministry than John the Baptist. This is pointed out so that we will
begin to get an inkling of the powerful mystery we have been called to
participate in. This is not tame stuff. This is wildly real if we could only accept
the truth of who we really are.
We are called to be messengers and
prophets to a dry and barren world but first we need to experience the wonder
of prophesying to our own deserts and wildernesses. How? By strengthening our
weak hands, making firm our feeble knees and saying to ourselves within that
wilderness, “Be strong. Do not fear. Here is your God.” This is a great
prayer for the present moment: “Be strong. Do not fear. My God is here.” This
is real prophecy. It doesn’t matter if you can’t see him and can’t feel him
yet. Metanoia means going beyond the world-based mind and allowing the Kingdom-based mind to begin to form your understanding. This is the prophetic word; this is the word of God, which is not a
feeling, an emotional response or an intellectual conclusion. It is truth.
Prophesy to your wilderness. Prophesy to your Wounded Warrior within. Prophesy often. Eventually you will sense a
creeping gladness and eventually you will witness the first of many tiny
blossoms opening up. One must persevere and be very still and patient to
actually see a flower in the act of blossoming but once witnessed, it is never
forgotten.
On this Third Sunday of Advent and
always: Rejoice! Prophesy with joy and singing; prophesy to your wilderness and
announce to it that the day of the Lord is here. Proclaim to your land, “Sing
and rejoice O Child of Zion for, behold, he comes!”
He may come like a raging wind in the
wilderness. He may come like a star on a cold clear night. He may come like a single blossom in the desert sand, as delicate
as a newborn child.
However he comes, you and your desert will be transformed.
No comments:
Post a Comment
.comment shown {display:inline}