Posted by The WORD in other words (2022) by Fr Dennis Manzana SVD — Taiwan
Thursday 3rd Week of Advent
Image source: Wikimedia Commons
“What did you go out into the wilderness to see?” Jesus started by asking a question, which is also a question we can ask ourselves. What are we looking for? Why did the Pharisees and the lawyers fail to see who John is while others saw him as the prophet sent by God.
What blinds us in our life?
I remember the first month after I arrived in the parish where I now serve. Every Friday, we have Eucharistic adoration, and on one particular Friday, the sister in charge of preparing the altar was not around. So I tried to remember where the things needed for the adoration are being kept.
I set the altar cloth, the monstrance, and the candles. But when I tried to look for the small spotlight placed in front to illuminate the Holy Eucharist in the center, I couldn’t find it. I looked for it all over the church, from the sacristy to the side of the altar, but it’s nowhere to be found.
I knew I saw it before and was quite sure where it was usually placed and even have a picture of it in my mind how it looked like. But my effort was in vain. I looked inside the cabinets and adjacent rooms, but there was none.
Until the last moment, before the adoration started, I informed one of the parishioners that I couldn’t find the spotlight. She went into the sacristy and opened one of the drawers, took out a movable LED spotlight placed on top of the candle stand by the door, and there it was!
Reflecting upon the experience why I did not see the spotlight was neither because it was not there nor because I did not open the drawer. It’s because the picture of the spotlight I had in my mind and how it actually looked like were not the same. Many times, due to our preconceived notions and even prejudices, we fail to see God’s loving presence and how he is at work in our life.
This Advent, as we wait for Jesus’ coming, may we be able to see him in our brothers and sisters, especially among those who need our love and care.
Taiwan
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