The season that calls us to be patient and vigilant, reflective and awake, peaceful and deliberate, gives us a child as a symbol of this season’s spirit. This is quite interesting given the observance of how short the attention span can be for a child! There are many aspects of a child that are immediately infectiously joyous – the spontaneity of a smile or a laugh coming from an infant’s face, or the exuberant run of abandonment seen in a young child running into the world of wonder all around (replete with flailing arms and high-pitched squeals). … And then there are the sometimes “less-than-immediately-joyous” displays of stomping and stubbornness that we see from a child who seems to want to make a point.
In the gospel today (MT 21: 28-32) , we see two sons’ respond to a request from their father. When asked to do something, one “child” responds affirmatively but then fails to follow through, while the other intransigently refuses, but then reconsiders and does as requested. It seems that we all act either one way or the other. I know that I have “agreed” to something and not always been faithful to actually carrying my part of the “agreement,” and then other times I have initially declined an invitation but, after consideration and reflection, done what was asked and, more times than not, found fulfillment in doing so.
We are created as paradoxes, governed many times by the whims of our feelings and attitudes. Verbally we may say one thing, and then do another. [This inconsistency is a human hallmark, and I am tempted to think that our Creator could very well find enjoyment in this – not in any sadistic fashion, but in the same way that we may smile or laugh when we observe a child acting in stubbornness and even defiance. Although not always appropriate, we can appreciate the many facets of a child “learning” about life and its wonderful relationships].
The point in this Advent Gospel seems to be that the son who initially refused to obey, yet actually did so later, perhaps even reluctantly, is the one who did the father’s will. It occurs to me that this is really a question of “being.” Could it be that the authenticity of our human “being” is manifested more in our actions rather than our words? When our actions are a response in love to another, then are we in line with our God Who is Love? The son who “finally came around” in the Gospel, despite the initial spoken reaction, is identified as the one who responded affirmatively and in love.
That seems to be the heart of the message in the Gospel – the prodigal child, the lost lamb, returned and reconciled. It’s the re-turning from the wanderings, being led back home, that seems to be the important experience in this life. There is something terribly consoling about the fact that, despite our whimsical feelings and capricious re-actions, we can move forward into love, when we step back, pause, re-consider, listen, or just simply trust!
As we approach the empty manger, awaiting for its fulfillment, I pray that we become aware that our God turned to us, re-turned to us, and became us to show us how to trust in love amidst imperfection, inconsistencies, waywardness and vagaries. The humility of the Incarnation is the mystery of our own lives.
Peace,
Thomas