Memorial Saint John of the Cross, Priest and Doctor of the Church
First Reading: Isaiah 45:6C-8, 18, 21C-25
I am the LORD, there is no other;
I form the light, and create the darkness,
I make well-being and create woe;
I, the LORD, do all these things.
Let justice descend, O heavens, like dew from above,
like gentle rain let the skies drop it down.
Let the earth open and salvation bud forth;
let justice also spring up!
I, the LORD, have created this.
For thus says the LORD,
The creator of the heavens,
who is God,
The designer and maker of the earth
who established it,
Not creating it to be a waste,
but designing it be lived in:
I am the LORD, and there is no other.
Who announced this from the beginning
and foretold it from of old?
Was it not I, the LORD,
besides whom there is no other God?
There is no just and saving God but me.
Turn to me and be safe,
all you ends of the earth,
for I am God; there is no other!
By myself I swear,
uttering my just decree
and my unalterable word:
To me every knee shall bend;
by me every tongue shall swear,
Saying, “Only in the LORD
are just deeds and power.
Before him in shame shall come
all who vent their anger against him.
In the LORD shall be the vindication and the glory
of all the descendants of Israel.”
Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 85:9AB AND 10, 11-12, 13-14
R. (Isaiah 45:8) Let the clouds rain down the Just One, and the earth bring forth a Savior.
I will hear what God proclaims;
the LORD–for he proclaims peace to his people.
Near indeed is his salvation to those who fear him,
glory dwelling in our land.
R. Let the clouds rain down the Just One, and the earth bring forth a Savior.
Kindness and truth shall meet;
justice and peace shall kiss.
Truth shall spring out of the earth,
and justice shall look down from heaven.
R. Let the clouds rain down the Just One, and the earth bring forth a Savior.
The LORD himself will give his benefits;
our land shall yield its increase.
Justice shall walk before him,
and salvation, along the way of his steps.
R. Let the clouds rain down the Just One, and the earth bring forth a Savior.
Gospel: Luke 7:18B-23
At that time,
John summoned two of his disciples and sent them to the Lord to ask,
“Are you the one who is to come, or should we look for another?”
When the men came to the Lord, they said,
“John the Baptist has sent us to you to ask,
‘Are you the one who is to come, or should we look for another?’”
At that time Jesus cured many of their diseases, sufferings, and evil spirits;
he also granted sight to many who were blind.
And Jesus said to them in reply,
“Go and tell John what you have seen and heard:
the blind regain their sight,
the lame walk,
lepers are cleansed,
the deaf hear, the dead are raised,
the poor have the good news proclaimed to them.
And blessed is the one who takes no offense at me.”
NAB
I love Christmas.
When I was young, I lived for seeing the gifts being placed under the tree. I loved helping my mom bake the cookies we only made during Christmas season. I took so much joy in finding the perfect gifts for my family members. And, then, on Christmas Eve, I rarely slept, dreaming of what the next day would bring.
Today, it’s a bit different.
Instead of joy in finding the perfect gift for all of the recipients, I often find myself anxious, never thinking I’m getting it right. Instead of the peaceful weeks of Advent leading up to the splendor of Christmas morning, I’m baking dozens of cookies, wanting to make sure and get every fun holiday-themed craft in, going from one day to the next marking things off the list while not forgetting our new traditions, and still worrying that I’m not doing enough, that it’s not special enough, that I’m missing the point of it all. Sadly, I’ve discovered, I am.
Then God speaks through the Psalm making it all so very clear: “Let the clouds reign down the Just One, and the earth bring forth a Savior.” A Savior. In eleven short days, we will celebrate the birth of He who has come to save us from ourselves.
It will not matter to Him if we’ve made Christmas cookies or not. He will not care if we celebrated every single day of Advent in a unique and special way or if we never even bought a wreath. Our Just One will remind us that He came into this world in the mess of a pen of animals, surrounded by nothing more than His parents, and all was well.
He has come and comes again on this Christmas to save us . . . from our worries, anxieties, loneliness, and fears. He will save us from any and all things that keep the joy from our hearts as we prepare for His coming. He has come to save us from the idea that what we do will make for a perfect Christmas, and instead teach us that it is all in whom we serve.
Eleven more days. We can choose to remain wrapped up in the idea of a perfect Christmas, or we can let Him save us from the unnecessary and find solace in only opening our hearts to the joy of His coming.
Come, my Savior.
Britt Fisk is the wife of Jeremy and mother of five young kids. She spends her days living simply in the-middle-of-nowhere-New Mexico helping with the family beef cattle operation. You can find out more about her here.
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