Our Advent journey should hold a certain expectation and hope that leads to the joy of discovery of who Jesus truly is for us. It should also awaken in us a childlike spirit of seeking the wisdom of God by virtue of the very journey we have set out upon.
However, as Jesus points out in today’s reading, he favored the childlike over the wise many times because often the wise stop seeking because they feel they already “know.”
We must never cease to seek God in our midst and thus keep an open mind, excited to run into the mysterious and unknown. While the wise expects nothing new, the heart of a child is brimming over with an eager spirit and eyes open to explore and learn.
In the darkness of our winter evenings, long and cold, we must warm our hearts and stoke our spirits, seeking the enlightenment the light of the Lord can bring to comfort our isolated journey these days.
Do not choose to retreat into a world you already know, putting God and others into preconceived packages wrapped with your decorative bow of present thinking. Rather, delight in the unexpected and move toward a willingness to be surprised.
Happy Advent!
The journey continues…wide awake…keeping watch!
Blessings,
Fr. Mark
