Nursing God
And suddenly Advent - a time of waiting, hope and great joy that we are the ones who have lived to see God's promises fulfilled.
We are celebrating the beginning. In secret, God is already preparing a rescue for us. We cannot see it yet, but it is already present among us like a grain in the ground. While nothing outwardly confirms this hope, right now that all our human security has been shattered, God is working for our salvation.
Because God is faithful to his promises and does not take back a given word. God is a Father who loves his children, although they constantly leave and seek happiness on their own. And this God's Fatherhood takes on a new meaning today when the Son of God becomes man. He becomes one of us. For all eternity! "Nothing is impossible for God," Mary hears a moment before the Savior of the world enters her womb.
One of the names of God in the Old Testament is El Shaddai - "God with breast", "Nursing God". (Some scholars have proposed that Shaddai comes from the root "shad" (שד) "breast" or "shadayim" (שדים) "breasts". El Shaddai is considered by some to be the feminine aspect of God, while YHWH (Yahweh)is the masculine.) As a devout Jewish woman, Mary knew this name well. She knew that meant a God who had enough food to satisfy; A God with whom you can feel safe - like a baby at the mother's breast. Such a God works for my good, even when at the moment it seems to me that my life is falling into a million pieces.
If you feel that today your world is collapsing into ruins, your plans are destroyed and you are overwhelmed with fear, look at Mary. Try to trust God and tell Him your yes. He will bring salvation out of this chaos. He's already preparing it. It is already developing in secret. It begins precisely when we say to God: yes.
Today, at the beginning of Advent, I say anew my AMEN to Him.
Only, I ask you, please remember the words of Jesus in today's Gospel: I give you praise, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, for although you have hidden these things from the wise and the learned you have revealed them to the childlike.
Until Tomorrow
fr. george