Advent is the time to return to the Lord and recognize the gifts He has bestowed on us, culminating in the Ultimate Gift of Jesus. The readings on this First Sunday of Advent remind us that we are steeped in guilt from our sins and although we wander, we are still the "work of the hands" of our Father, the Faithful One. The Gospel cautions us to be watchful and alert so that we may be prepared when the Lord comes.
As we reflect on these readings, we can be brought very low by the reality that we do fall into sins. We can ignore the spiritual seriousness of such a situation or become stuck in guilt or rejoice that the Lord continually gives us opportunities to return to Him. The second reading, St. Paul's letter to the Corinthians, states that we "enriched" and "are not lacking in any spiritual gift"... so, the attitudes of apathy or guilt are really counter-productive. Obviously, the third choice is the best for spiritual growth.
Many times I feel so far from being "enriched", " with all knowledge" and having all these spiritual gifts. I get distracted by what I think is "good" and forget it is about God, not me. The promise that the Lord Jesus will keep me "firm" and "irreproachable" is comforting and a bit mysterious, knowing myself as I do. I think the image of the clay and the potter is one that is very relevant: perhaps the Lord continually re-molds me in my eyes into being the person I really am in His.
For me, this Advent I will be looking at this re-molding process as it is occurring in my life right now. The challenges of a newborn granddaughter and her mom living with my husband and me gives me many opportunities to model what I believe... and many a thought about what I really do believe. Thinking back to my life when my daughter was the age of this newborn cements in my mind that God's "process" as a Potter is real, it works, and it is a wonderful gift that we are given. We get multiple chances to "get it better" if not completely right. For this, I am thankful.
(Comments to Lanie at lanieleblanc@mindspring.com.)