December 23, 2018 (Advent- 4th week)
Micah 5:1-4a | Psalm 80 | Hebrews 10:5-10 | Luke 1:39-45
Title:
Hands Full
[_01_] Saint Anthony. Saint Anthony is naturally
associated with objects. Objects that we want returned to us.
Your headphones are lost. Your keys
are lost. Your remote control is lost. Something is lost.
We want the objects returned to us.
We naturally associate Saint Anthony
with the Lost & Found in heaven and on earth, universally.
He knows where everything is.
However, the reason that this
tradition developed is because of his own prayer regarding an object that he
lost.
When he was in the monastery, when
he was studying to be a priest. One of his brothers left the monastery and took
a book that was precious to Anthony.
So, he prayed that the book would be
returned. But, he was not just praying
for the book to be returned but also for his brother to return. We can also
pray for the intercession of Saint Anthony not only for objects – but also for
relationships that might be lost or have lost their way.
Anthony is really praying for his
brother to return to the monastery.
[_01_] This time of year, we associate objects with
people, but not so much lost objects, but rather gifts – as objects.
People bring gifts. Sometimes, we
want to bring a gift when we go to visit someone.
One friend of mine describes it this
way – my mother taught me this ..when you go to someone’s house, you should be
ringing the doorbell with your elbows. That is, your hand should be so full so
loaded down with gifts, that you can only ring the door with your elbows.
He should be invited over more
often, as he would bring many gifts.
This Sunday is the Gospel of the
Visitation of the Blessed Virgin Mary to
Elizabeth. And, Elizabeth and Mary are associated with gifts, that is the gift
of their children who they are carrying. Elizabeth is the mother of John the
Baptist; Mary, the mother of Jesus. And, each of them has her hands full.
They involved directly in the
salvation of the whole world. Elizabeth and
Mary are mothers and they have their hands full.
[_02_] The Gospel this Sunday is about the
friendship and the perseverance of Mary and Elizabeth to be with each other to
support each other.
[_03_] The
other day, I happened to cross paths with an old classmate of mine. We had not
seen each other for 15 years. I knew what he was doing that he was teaching at
Seton Hall and in South Orange. But, still we had not visited or seen each
other in 15 years.
Unlike the episode of Mary and
Elizabeth, this was not a planned encounter. We just happened to be in the same
place at the same time.
There was reminiscing, remembering …
classes, teachers, people we know. We caught up in about 2 minutes the 15 years
that we had missed.
First there was reminiscing – but
then there was also a need for help, for support.
His car was in the shop, in the
mechanic’s shop. He seemed to need money. He does not carry an ATM bank
card. What’s up with that? Even 15
years ago, I had an ATM card. You did too,
you had an ATM card 30 years ago,. He did not have one. I did not ask.
[_04_] But –
strangely – at least, this felt strange to me. I actually wanted to help him
out.
And, I seemingly, I had no reason. I
see him once every 15 years. But, I wanted to help him out.
I suggest this motivation was not
because of my own patience (I am not very patient) …. Or my own generosity (I
am not consistently generous….)
It was because of 2 gifts.
And, the gifts are suggested by Mary
and Elizabeth. And, the 2 gifts – which
are not on any registry – are suggested by a parable of Jesus called the “The
Friend at Midnight”. (Luke 11:5-8)
In
this parable, Jesus rings the doorbell – teaching us about someone who
arrives at the 11th hour, literally or not. And, the person brings 2
gifts: FRIENDSHIP and PERSEVERANCE.
And, Mary brings perseverance as a
gift to Elizabeth, and Elizabeth to Mary.
Mary goes off road off the grid to
the hill country.
In this, seeing my old classmate –
after 15 years – I was experiencing both. There was a friendship – and old
friendship and there was his perseverance. His story of his car, the ATM card,
the repair shop, the cold weather.
So, I felt motivated by these 2
gifts…these 2 gifts which he – in a way – brought to me, carried to me, with
his hands full.
In the end, the book was returned to
Saint Anthony. And, more importantly, his brother returned to the monastery. The
brother was recovered too.
Mary and Elizabeth also have their
hands full, yet they are loving and supporting each other. They are persevering. They are also friends I
pray that this mystery of the visitation may also inspire us to seek their
intercession and follow their example, whether we are the friend hearing the
doorbell or ringing the doorbell. [_fin_]
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