Reflection for Sunday 12th December

Meeting God

There is an Old Russian story that tells of a farmer named Diametric who, like Simeon in the gospel of St. Luke (2:26), wished to see God face to face before he died. He prayed to St. Nikolai who promised to grant his wish. The saint went on to specify the place and the day of the encounter. As the time for encounter drew near, Diametric set out on his long journey. He had only one thing in mind: his appointment with God. But along the road, he met an old farmer whose cart had broken down. Now he had a dilemma: must he stop to help the farmer or hurry on to his appointment with God? His kind heart won and he stayed to fix the farmer’s cart. It took him hours to finish the task and he never made  it to the meeting place. That night, St. Nikolai appeared to him in a dream and said: 'My friend, you have encountered the Lord. It happened when you helped that unknown man in need.'  

On this third Sunday of Advent we celebrate Gaudete Sunday. Gaudete means “joy.” In this Sunday’s Gospel we hear the people, tax collectors and soldiers respond to John the Baptist's call to repentance. When we repent, we heal our relationship with God and others. This opens up the way for our joy and the joy of others to increase. John gives some very practical advice to the question of what must we do? Firstly, we are to give charitably with a generous heart. Secondly, we are to be fair and honest in our dealings with others. We are called to work hard and with integrity. Thirdly, we are to take no more from others than what we are entitled to and seek to be in right relationship with them.  

From this we learn that in all these things our faith must manifest itself in good concrete actions if it is to be authentic. There are always opportunities to open our hearts and help others. However, when those moments occur, we will also usually be faced with the dilemma of choosing to do that or simply go on focusing solely on our own lives and what we want. The choices we make in these situations will show whether we are serious about our faith or not. If we take advantage of the opportunities when they present themselves to open our hearts to others it is in those moments that we will encounter God. 

Fr. Alan