Month: December 2021

The First Reading has one of my favorite passages, seen time and time again throughout the Bible: “My love shall never leave you nor my covenant of peace be shaken, says the LORD, who has mercy on you.” Isaiah 54:10

Other similar passages are:

Hebrews 13:5 – Let your life be free from love of money but be content with what you have, for he has said, “I will never forsake you or abandon you.”

Deuteronomy 31:6 – Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the Lord your God goes with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you.

Joshua 1:5 – No one can withstand you as long as you live. As I was with Moses, I will be with you: I will not leave you nor forsake you.

Matthew 28:20 – And behold, I am with you always, until the end of the age. 

Today, we read this passage in the Advent season, as we are waiting. In such a time of waiting, it is easy to get lost. For example, while on hold with the insurance company, I started scrolling through social media on my phone, put away some laundry, and then started looking up other insurance companies. I also began to get discouraged, for I’ve been on hold before only to be hung up on and forced to start the process all over again. 

Similarly, while we wait for Jesus, or even just wait for God to reveal His plan for us, to us, we can get discouraged. We get lost and begin to do other things and seek other earthly comforts. 

So there I was, still on hold, when the lady came back on the line and let me know that they were still working on it and would have to put me back on hold again but ARE still working on it. Instantly, I was reassured and more hopeful. It was 10 seconds of encouragement, but it made me close the tabs for other insurance companies! 

I see those passages from Isaiah, Hebrews, and Deuteronomy as similar encouragement, especially since they are all used in different scenarios across the Bible, yet the message remains the same: God will never leave you. 

So today, as you are waiting for the birth of Jesus and especially as you wait for God to reveal more to you, do not be discouraged! Instead, remind yourself of all these times, throughout thousands of years, how people have had their hope restored by knowing that God would never leave them. In the same way, God will never abandon you, nor forsaken you, nor His covenant of peace be shaken. “I am with you always, until the end of the age” (Matthew 28:20).

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Ten years ago today my Dad died. My Mom has been lost in the darkness without him as a guiding light after their amazing 50 year journey together as husband and wife. She has been forced to make changes in her life. It has not been an easy transition for her or my sisters, me, and our families.

St. John of the Cross, born Juan de Yepes y Álvarez, was a contemplative Discalced Carmalite priest, monk and doctor of the Church. He felt a call to reform the Carmalite order and received approval from the Papal Nuncio in Spain to do just that. The changes did not go over well with many of his fellow monks. They imprisoned John for eight and a half months, placing him in a tiny cell with no window. The only light he had to pray his breviary came from the hole in the wall to the room next door.

During this time St. John wrote “The Dark Night of the Soul”. Here is a contemporary paraphrase from Fr. Richard Conlin of the necessity of dark night in spiritual life.

“Until a soul is placed by God in the passive purgation of that dark night… it cannot purify itself completely from these imperfections nor from the others.… No matter how much an individual does through his own efforts, he cannot actively purify himself enough to be disposed in the least degree for the divine union of the perfection of love. God must take over and purge him in that fire that is dark for him.” 

Jesus tells the parable of the son who went back and did the work he was supposed to do but first said no to his father. The son changed his mind. He did his work in the vineyard. He did what he was called to do by his father.

My father told his daughters to care for his wife and our mother. We wholeheartedly agreed to the task. My Mom however does not believe she needs any assistance at this stage in her life. She does not see a beloved mother who has become reclusive and remiss in necessary tasks and personal care. She pushes away inquiries or offers of help, as she is ‘just fine.’

Zephaniah reminds us to take refuge in the Lord. ‘You need not be ashamed of all your deeds…’ Correction or insight from another can point the way to enlightenment. Each person must acknowledge the correction and make a choice to do what is right in the eyes of God. Everyone has a dark time (or more) to work through, even chief priests, monks, moms, and especially me. We each must commit to do what the Father has called us to, our own individual specific tasks.

Father, help me through the darkness. Enlighten my mind to the tasks and changes that need to be made in my life to the hope found in Your love. Amen.

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