Lord, make us turn to You; let us see Your face and we shall be saved. Psalm 80
This summer my husband and I traveled to Wisconsin for his father’s 90th birthday party. It was not a surprise party but he was speechless and emotional nonetheless at the number of children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren in attendance, many of whom traveled hours to get there. Among the nearly fifty guests were a few infants. I love babies. A peaceful sleeping baby in the arms of its mother is such a beautiful sight.
The image of an infant and mother came to mind when I was thinking about the psalm of today’s liturgy. This time of waiting in Advent reminds me of when I was pregnant with my daughter. I could not wait to see her beautiful face and to hold her in my arms. I am sure that Mary was just as anxious to see her son’s face. Like Mary, we are all waiting to see His face. We are all waiting for salvation.
O Lord, in this time of Advent help us to be aided by the Church so that we will grasp the true meaning of the perpetual longing that lies at the heart of all people. May we be aided in this quest by the great figures of the Advent liturgy – Mary Your Mother, John Your Precursor, and Isaiah Your Prophet. Enable us to discover whom and what we are expected to be, and be resolved to do whatever is needed to have our expectations fulfilled. Amen.
Suzanne Haulotte