1st Advent - Where is God?

Where’s Waldo? We remember those books; the funny looking dude with glasses, hat and striped shirt hiding in plain sight amid a crowd of others. Our task was to find him, to recognize him amid all the other people. It teaches attention and concentration; and frustration!!!!!!!

At times we can all get into a too comfortable position in life and become numb to our world, our reality. We do not truly see what is around us. We all notice the snow on the mountains when it first happens, but by January we become “meh” about it.  We can also get overwhelmed by situations that wear us down, and we become less able to see the positive around us.  

We can fall into the trap of thinking God is not here with us. God is not working with us. God is not in our world. We can think this as we get confronted in the news by all the bad news; gun violence again and again; earthquakes, wars, drought, the divisions.  Where's God?

This thinking is not sinful, but it is also not helpful, and it is not TRUE. God remains with us.

It usually takes an effort to get our attention, to notice differently; to see more and better. It takes a voice, a prophetic voice to call us to see. This Gospel becomes that voice. Jesus calls out to his disciples. Jesus calls us to be alert, to be awake, to look up and around and witness where God is; where God is at work.  He revealed that God works and is present in those moments of reconciliation and forgiveness; in moments of giving and hospitality; in moments of humility.

If we know where to look, and how to look we could see quietly there are a number of our people here who go to Catholic Charities each day/each week and give of their time to help those in need.  Pay attention to the sense of hospitality and welcome that has been growing in our community.  Have we noticed that our Young Adults engage in their faith here, and help in the wider community.  Can we see that our Youth have found a safe place to be and to experience a deeper sense of God.  Notice that more people have found small groups and have had their own faith grown as they share.  

And if we do not think God is present, then Jesus reminds us, the disciples, to make God present: in our own acts of mercy, compassion, generosity and mercy. We do not need to wait for it to happen to us, we have the grace and the ability to make it happen ourselves.  

Advent, this time of preparation, means for us to give more attention to our lives, to this world; to look differently.

This world truly was created as beautiful; and it can be. Sr. Darlene the other week was commenting on how beautiful the mountains are, because she lives in Kentucky. So maybe stop and appreciate the beauty we have given to us; and not take it for granted.

Even consider what we do here, week after week; God becomes truly present; in the people gather, in the word proclaimed, and especially in the bread and wine. Really, this can shock us and needs to shock us to maybe see differently, think differently.  And if we can believe that that simple bread and wine truly is the resurrected person of Jesus Christ, if we can see that with the eyes of faith.

Then we can see where God is in the rest of the world, and in our lives.

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