OPENING NEW DOORS OF GRACE
When they came on the eighth day to circumcise the child,
they were going to call him Zechariah after his father,
but his mother said in reply,
“No. He will be called John.”
But they answered her,
“There is no one among your relatives who has this name.”
So they made signs, asking his father what he wished him to be called.
He asked for a tablet and wrote, “John is his name,”
and all were amazed. - Luke 1:59-64
Whether I realize it or not, I’m so used to, and perhaps to an extent, even wired to traditions. In the summer and heading into the fall this year, I remember thinking to myself, surely Covid will be taken care of by the holidays. We’ll be able to celebrate Mass and gather together again as we always have - I mean, Christmas, how could we not? As much as I endeavor to live my life in a non-status quo kind of way, I find that this sense of “This is how it’s always been done” still pervades parts of my heart and life. Not that they are bad, but that perhaps there is an invitation to something else.
I’m struck by the opening of this invitation in today’s Gospel. Not only did Zechariah break tradition in having his son named John, it was precisely at that moment after declaring so that he was able to speak again. That is, trying something pretty different - with divine inspiration - opened the door to incredible, abundant grace. Christmas this year may not look anything like what I’ve experienced before, but I am looking forward to the unexpected gifts I see are already unfolding through this time.
Lord, how are you inviting me to shift my perspective in this radically different Advent and Christmas season? Please help me to see the openings versus the limitations of this time for Your grace.
Quyen Nhi Ngo