Sunday, December 22, 2024 – Fourth Week of Advent
It is my sense and perception, and I may be wrong, that society is beginning to view many events through political lenses. That is, “Event A” is due to this-or-that political force or ideology. Now, there is merit in making such connections with many societal events, but in my perception, it seems to be increasing and creating greater division. Though objectively and intellectually correct in many instances, in making such connections, I question what this pattern is doing to our mental health and our overall view of the world. Are these assumptions bringing us together or do they separate us more? It is worth pondering.
As we reflect on life and societal events, how do we, as the title of this column tells us, how do we read the “Signs of the Times?” I would like to suggest that we consider them in the light of faith and what is God trying to tell us. What is the divine message how we are to react, respond, or consider a countercultural option to them? How can we make an event sacred instead of negative and/or a trivial matter?
Our Advent season is a time of waiting for Jesus. The truth is that Jesus has already come. But what we are waiting for is how does Jesus reveal himself to us in new ways this Christmas. What is the next level of understanding Jesus wishes to plant in our hearts on Christmas and in the weeks and months to follow. How do the events: personal, family, neighborhood, and greater news-worthy become opportunities of God’s desire to speak to us and announce the Good News in new ways—ways that will move us from the temporal to what is holy and divine. In other words, can unfortunate news be reframed to a grace through prayer and reflection? These new outlooks may be how Jesus comes to us anew at Christmas and beyond.
Our Advent mantra “Come Lord Jesus” can be a plea asking for a better understanding of what is taking place in our world. And to receive this grace is a powerful gift to inspire us, and in turn, to offer hope to those around us who are trapped in despair in how they view their surroundings. May we become prophets of God’s manifestation among us.