Daily Reflection for Friday, December 20, 2019
Peace and Blessings, Friends and Parishioners,
We encourage you to reflect on Friday’s readings at this link:
http://www.usccb.org/bible/readings/122019.cfm
If you prefer to use your own Bible, the readings are:
First Reading: Isaiah 7:10-14
Responsorial: Psalm 24:1-6
Gospel: Luke 1:26-38
Our reflection on Friday’s readings:
Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign . . . Isaiah 7:14
Signs, signs--everywhere are signs.
Scripture is full of references to signs from God and so are today’s readings. Jesus often reprimands the disciples and audiences who ask for a sign from God.
Like those asking Jesus for a sign, I think too often the sign is right in front of us and yet we fail to recognize it. Most will not see a burning bush, speak to an actual angel, or witness a virgin birth, but God is constantly giving us signs if only we are willing to see them and be open to his Word.
I know that I have witnessed a sign from God, but I didn’t know it at the time. In retrospect I know that when I was on that mountain I saw the face of God. I sat there looking out over the sea and the mountains in the distance and felt so small and insignificant. Yet I felt that I was not alone and that I was loved. I didn’t know what was happening and I can’t say that I understood what I witnessed, but that overwhelming sense of joy, peace, love, and awe was God. I was inexplicably overwhelmed with emotion and filled with a joy so profound that I still think about that afternoon 20 years ago.
There was no logical reason why I should have felt that way. I was lonely, afraid of having to make some very adult decisions, and knew that I was staring at one of those hard transitions that you encounter in life. At the time, I chalked up my reaction to the natural beauty all around me. As the weeks and months went by, I kept thinking about my mountaintop experience. I began to realize that God was calling me back to Him. I wasn’t like Mary who had an angel appear to her nor was I as receptive to His call as she was, but I eventually realized that God was calling to me and I started to listen.
Where might God be calling you? What signs have you overlooked because you were expecting something grander and more supernatural? Take some time in the midst of the holiday chaos to look and listen for God. When you see Him, may you respond as Mary did.
Happy Christmas!
Pete Kuester