20 December 2006

Getting pregnant

Advent Dec 20: Isa 7.10-14 and Luke 1.26-38
Fr. Philip N. Powell, OP
St. Albert the Great Priory, Irving, TX

PODCAST!

If you have ever prayed for a sign, you know the agony that comes with waiting. There, in a moment of desperate need, you reach out to God, ask for some glimmer of direction, some flicker of guidance and there you sit, tittering right on the sharp edge of panic waiting for something, some indication, some signal or notice and growing more and more anxious, wondering if this or that noise, this or that pattern of birds or leaves or clouds were random or did you hear a word in the racket or read a word spelled out in feathers or branches or vapor, hoping that maybe just maybe there is some slight nod to your tangled knot in a kind word from a neighbor or is she an angel announcing the glory of the Lord, handing you that sealed envelope, that precious celestial telegram with large, curly-que letters, written, obviously, by the hand of God Himself, reading, “Here is my will for you…” and now you have to think the whole thing is a circus, a comedy of divine errors b/c God’s will for you is not what you expected, not what you had hoped; the signal is garbled or maybe the ink of the heavenly printer smeared and the message is now lost to the will of chance, gambled away, sadly (of course!) in a bet against what God wants for you, will have from you and your sign is empty of meaning b/c you can’t read or won’t read the billboard of the Father’s Will that flashes bright red and orange all day, everyday, right in front of your face, blaring too in sonorous notes of cool memory, imagination, and prayer: “The Lord is with you. Do not be afraid. You are favored by God. You carry Jesus like an ark. The Holy Spirit has come upon you, therefore, the Word you carry is the Son of God. Since nothing is impossible for God: carry His Word, let him grow in you, and then bring him out for the world to honor as its Savior. His sign to you is your pregnant faith, your expectant trust in His promises. That you hope for a sign of His will for you is your sign of His will for you. Otherwise, why do you wait?” So, rather than ask, where is my sign from God?; ask, where is my trust that His will will be done for my greatest good? If you will be God’s servant, pray: “May it be done to me according to His word!”

2 comments:

  1. Anonymous8:39 AM

    Excellent spiritual advice during this time of vigil.

    Pax,
    Jimmy

    PS. That is one huge second sentence!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Anonymous9:37 PM

    Whew.. you give us water with this. Powerful reflection.

    ReplyDelete