God will forgive  “…but with your own eyes you shall see your Teacher, while from behind, a voice shall sound in your ears: ‘This is the way; walk in it’...”

Hymn to the All-Powerful   “…The Lord… heals the broken-hearted binds up their wounds, numbers all the stars, calls each of them by name...”

The compassion of Jesus, and the mission of the Twelve “…Then he (Jesus) said to his disciples, ‘The harvest is abundant but the laborers are few; so ask the master of the harvest to send out laborers for his harvest.’...”

As we travel toward the Light, through this Advent season, let us ask the Spirit to enlighten us this year in a new way as we move towards the end of this Jubilee year. 

Since Advent is the season of light, we should not be surprised to find today’s readings uplifting.  Starting with Isaiah’s writings, God’s Word is fresh and renewing, as we hear about a caring God, who has considered every human need, and who listens to every word we as individuals whisper.  God always grasps the larger picture, while He pays attention to the smallest details.  That is the relationship our Lord God has with humankind.  As I listened to “that still, small voice” in today’s readings, I heard “but with your own eyes you shall see your Teacher, while from behind, a voice shall sound in your ears:  ‘This is the way; walk in it’…” (Is 3:20,21).  With this reading, I began to open up, and release some of the heavy baggage I’d been carrying for the last few weeks. 

Then in Matthew’s Gospel, 9:38, I read, Jesus says “The harvest is abundant but the laborers are few; so ask the master of the harvest to send out laborers for his harvest.”  With two short breaths from God, I was folded back into the whole of humanity; no longer separate and agonizing over the differences I’ve been feeling lately with others.  I recognized the grip my concerns of the past few weeks had had on me.  How could I be a laborer and be about the work of the harvest?  I was using up so much energy judging others.  I felt the release of tension from the tiring thoughts of the previous weeks.  Even with that release, I felt myself reach back, to hold onto the thoughts I’d just released.  Momentarily I had seen a bigger picture of the world, one where it was okay to let go of my self-assigned duty (playing God).  I didn’t need to hold onto my judgements of others.

Answering the call to be Christian is to be one of God’s “priestly people.”  Those people who are connected to God, through prayer and the reading of His Word; who are strengthened by receiving His Sacraments.  Those people who are called on at various levels to further God’s kingdom, as they seek to serve and do God’s Will.  Today’s readings were a good reminder of the relationship we have with the Almighty.  It helps me to put my daily activities, which are mostly “undoings” into proper perspective.  These readings have shown me a dimension of God’s love that I needed to see.  I pray that I can let God be God, as I stick to my calling to be the laborer of the harvest.  Maybe you need a little reuniting with the rest of humanity today.

Today we also celebrate Blessed Juan Diego.  In 1531 Juan was visited by the Virgin Mary and given a message to carry to the Bishop to build a church on the site where she was appearing.  As proof of the Virgin Mary’s visit, she left her imprint (Our Lady of Guadalupe, patroness of the Americas) on Juan’s cloak.  The Bishop saw our Lady’s image when Juan was trying to release the flowers he had gathered into his cloak for the Bishop to see.  The Castilian roses, which fell to the ground were uncommon to Mexico and were growing up out of the frozen ground.