Reflections on the 1st Sunday of Advent
Eyes are the windows to the soul as the old saying goes; but in our modern day world where eyes dart from place to place, unable to fix on anything of value for any duration of time, do the windows of the soul reveal to us anything besides a homeless soul? That these eyes carry this homelessness in a time of unprecedented power, freedom, pleasure, health and wealth leaves us intrigued, confused, and taken aback. Though we seem to have it all, we seem to have nothing! Weak and struggling, we try to find that place to fix our eyes, but don’t seem to be able to take those steps of faith in any one direction.
What are we to make of this fact besides the perpetual realization that has been made in countless theological accounts across time — that those homeless eyes truly do reveal something about our Humanity — that we are truly homeless and that we are seeking Home dimly and without strength!
To live in that fact of homelessness and weakness is a very uncomfortable place. We aren’t meant to remain there — although we are homeless, we are not meant to stay homeless. We are made for home. Our eyes long to be fixed eternally on the thing worthy of our love, worthy of our very hearts. The God who created us configured a freedom of heart in us that could seek that Home wholeheartedly. When one looks into the windows of our souls, what ought to be there is the fire of an everlasting love, not the anxiety and deadness of winter or the carnival of passing pleasures and sighs.
When we do finally come to our senses we set out to become prodigal sons. Before we know it we find that we don’t know how to take the course, how to navigate our way back to our Father’s house, how to power our way onto the promised land. Knowing there is a problem doesn’t ensure a solution.
There is good news however — the journey of our homeless, weak souls is not just our story. It is God’s story too. God is also looking for us; he has a palace of many rooms, with a place set aside for us, and he searches for us with his whole heart first, knowing our weakness. There is no place that is too dark for him, no darkness that he does not make as light; that burning love for us draws us out of ourselves as he seeks to roll open the grave of our weakness to new life.
So many eyes, so many journeys, so many falls, so many breakdowns and yet all are called to come home. Our eyes were made to find our precious home, and despite the homelessness of our current situations, we hope against hope, our vision darting across the night sky, seeking, striving, finding little lights, reflections and symbols of a greater light. Those eyes did, in the course of time and space, fall upon a Star; or better— the Star fell upon them. What was there at end of the Star’s revealing light but a humble family with a newborn babe in a manger. Love was here; home was here; God who became Man was here, making himself so small so as to enter into the abode of our hearts. That light once perceived knocks us off our feet and knocks on the door of our hearts — seeking to kindle in our hearts an everlasting love.
Our eyes can find home here in Bethlehem! — in the humble love of the Holy Family — in the love of the ever living God who so infinitely eternal became infinitely small to live with us, to be loved by us as he brings us back to his Father’s house.
This is what Christmas is all about! This is the challenge and opportunity of Advent! That his smallness might be seen by our anxious eyes — that inside those windows of soul can enter an endless story of Home. Jesus Christ, the unknown babe in Bethlehem, revealed by the light, helps us to stumble back Home in our weakness. His heart is the eternal rest for our restless hearts. His love conquers all the distance our weakness supplies. Our eyes no longer need to anxiously scan the skies of winter; inside the windows of our souls, now has come a great light. We rest in this light, without the need to search anymore. We rest in this light, never needing to conquer our way into heaven. God humbled himself first; he knew our hearts and it’s troubles and desired our good. His hand will guide us no matter where we are. Our eyes fixed on his goodness, our weakness redeemed by his life, we gather our hearts and let God love us as we are transformed and enter into relationship with the one who knows us from our Mother’s womb.
R.P.