God loves you .
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The Orthodox have Advent as ‘Nativity Lent’ – a cautiously guarded reminder to ‘shop later’ and ‘prepare now’. Better by far is making Epiphany – Little Christmas, say, the first Monday after the first Sunday in January – the gift exchange Christmas. December 25 would be reserved to the great solemnity of the Incarnation; the Divine Infant to reign from birth. ‘We’ would be ‘set aside’ until the later Christmas.
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A meditation that arrived and lingered with me this morning came out of memories of family Christmases that were so very little of ‘Christ’s Mass’. Family celebrations of every kind depend upon the elders making the themes and rites just right for the occasions. And, especially about Christmas, Dad and Mom set the tones and colors that matter. And, out of that thought, and from my memories came this sad ‘tribute’ . . .
O, Dad, Mom, what you did to muddy the image and exquisite loving care of our heavenly Father and Mother! At your hands, they became so arbitrary and undesirable, just further if invisible authoritarians with little to redeem them for influence in our family and on into my life. Yet, I guess it is so easy to resent the perfection powers for lacking the clay feet inevitable in human authorities. I know – I think that I have those clay feet in me up to somewhere above my waist.
And, every Our Father and Hail Mary, and virtually every other prayer, became but rote sounds – barely words! – issued on command. In our family life, so much an escapade of ‘do as I say and not as I do’ – even while much more likely, frankly, to jealously protect and advance your ‘do’ more than your ‘say’ – spirits went starving for their real nourishment. God and His Church, His Sacraments and Commandments, His example and exemplars had so little place as to be nearly nothing of ‘say’ or ‘do’.
So, in this last weekend of this Advent, the last purple candle eager to help with its fire to light my way into God’s Sacred Heart, and His eternal and inimitable love into my heart, I beg God to offer you mercy in direct contraindication of how you offered Him place in our family. May God in His love grant you mercy in measure that amazes and gratifies you. I’d just love to meet you before His throne being just the Dad and Mom you were meant by God to be . . . here.
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And, for all of you here about Catholic Exchange, as my prayer and request, may each of you in your family be as a veritable cradle to the newborn King. Permit Mary to place to one side that cattle-feed bin. Rest in our Incarnate God, our Emmanuel, our Jesus, our Christ, our Savior, and permit Him, O dear Perfect Innocence, to rest in you.
Vivat Jesus! – Ave Maria! – Jesus, Mary, we love you – save souls.
Remember, I love you, too .
In our delighted glory in our Infant King,
Pristinus Sapienter
(wljewell @catholicexchange.com or … yahoo.com)
