Lessons in Grace and Disgrace
As a teacher I've always felt bad for the fourth week in Advent. There's that fourth candle that never gets lit at school, and it's rarely a full week before the big day. This year it's three days!
But these are powerful days of waiting for us as Christians. In the Liturgy of the Hours, we pray the "O Antiphons" See: http://www.rc.net/wcc/antiphon.htm
Yes, I know this is the height of crazy in most families, and you may not have time to pray these. But how about just a little pause and reflect on today's beautiful Gospel from Matthew.
It gives us the "real" stuff of that first Christmas. A time of angel visits (how scary could that be?), impossible messages (WHAT? Mary pregnant? From WHO???) and, well, STRESS.
I really was struck this year with Joseph. Maybe it's because of Pope Francis' call to honor Joseph and include him in the liturgy. It was this line that caused me to ponder:
"Her husband Joseph, being a righteous man and unwilling to expose her to public disgrace, planned to dismiss her quietly."
Joseph was about to do the most honorable thing a man in his position could do. And yet, it would be the wrong thing.
So I ask myself, how many times have I tried to do what is right, to do "God's will" only to discover that God has something entirely different in mind????
That's the first good lesson.
The second and the most powerful, is to remind myself that God's grace is everywhere, but especially in the places you least expect.
Mary, who in the eyes of the world around her was full of "public disgrace" was, in fact FULL OF GRACE!!!
And her Son, the King of Glory would be born in dis-grace, in a feeding trough for animals.
The King, Grace Himself, would die a dis-graceful death on a cross designed for enemies of the state.
And through His Death and Resurrection He would pour out His Grace on the world and save it.
We, who were dis-graced way back at the beginning have been graced with new life. Our humanity has been re-graced, thanks to the Incarnation which we celebrate on Wednesday.
O Wisdom, O Holy Word of God
O Sacred Lord of Ancient Israel
O Flower of Jesse's stem
O Key of David
O Radiant Dawn
O King of All the Nations
O Emmanuel, God with Us,
Come Lord Jesus!
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