A Reflection for Monday of the Third Week of Advent
Find the readings here.
So they said to Jesus in reply, “We do not know.”
Most spiritual people go through times when it is difficult to pray. Sometimes that means making a persistent effort that feels as if it bears no fruit. More often, for me, the challenge comes when I find myself avoiding personal prayer altogether.
When this occurs, it’s rarely because I’m angry with God or questioning my faith. Rather, this avoidance happens whenI hear a faint voice offering an unwanted answer to a question I’d rather not face.
Taking this to prayer might mean that the voice grows louder, that I have to take a step in a direction that scares or challenges me. So I pretend I don’t know the answers. What should be an honest conversation becomes a kind of calculation: How do I get out of this situation with the least amount of discomfort?
Perhaps this tendency is not dissimilar to the actions of the chief priests and elders in today’s Gospel. Jesus asks them a question, and they think they know the answer but they fear being truthful about it. They allow the fear to keep them from being honest, and in doing so, they are denied the full truth.
And yet that truth is being offered. Jesus offers an invitation to conversation, and the scribes and elders reject the opportunity and go away without the answer they sought. For those of us shying away from our own conversations with God, the good news is that Jesus remains available. He continues to offer that invitation to us today.
We are always welcome to let down our walls, to let go of our fears. In our pursuit of the truth, we must be willing to be held by the One who is the way, the truth and the life, who replaces fear with love, who remains in our hearts always.
Let us be open to hearing this voice.
Get to know Kerry Weber
What are you most grateful for this Advent season?
I am particularly grateful for the ways in which my childrens’ schools have helped to engage them in preparing for Christmas, through song, prayer and acts of charity.
Do you have any favorite holiday recipes?
We love making these sugar cookies using festive cookie cutters.
Do you have any seasonal reading or arts recommendations?
Make a point to attend your parish’s Christmas pageant this year. What better way to celebrate Christmas than to allow children to tell the story of the Christ child?
