“Yet even when you saw that, you did not later change your minds and believe Him” – Matthew 21:32
“Because it’s 30 degrees outside,” I responded with a coldness reflective of the frigid December morning. Yet, there we sat at the negotiating table having a familiar conversation. The defendant, my 10-year-old son, stood before the prosecution asking why he couldn’t wear shorts to school. I thought this might be a lesson best learned through experience, so I acquiesced as an act of justice, not mercy: “Fine. Wear shorts.” And that afternoon as he ran in from the bus stop, legs as red as lobster claws (they also had outdoor recess), no words needed to be exchanged; lesson learned. The next day? Pants…with a jacket, to boot.
It is the human condition to see what is in front of us and still not believe. Imagine being alive during the time of Jesus and seeing His ministry—and some still did not change their minds. Why? We might miss the implicit message of today’s Gospel: Christ does not ask us to change who we are without first asking us to change who we think He is. Change is more than wearing pants on a cold winter morning; it is about the conversion of our hearts. The beauty of Advent is the reminder that each day holds the possibility of Christ being born anew in us. We are invited to accept this divine gift—the very love of God born into this world and into our lives. Indeed, we have seen. Do we believe?
Saint Lucy, patron saint of the blind, give us the eyes of faith and allow us to see the love of Jesus at work in our lives.
Amen.
Dr. Michael Nicholson
To view the full Advent 2022 booklet in English, click here.
For Spanish, click here.
For French, click here.