ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGS
December 13, 2022
With last Sunday being Joy Sunday in the Season of Advent, I have been pondering the idea of rejoicing a lot. It is always a bit dangerous to put forth an idea I’ve not yet fully developed, yet I am going to toss this one before you all to engage. I believe there is a connection between one’s capacity to rejoice and the ability to make a change in one’s life. Now, “rejoicing” means being able to truly and gratefully acknowledge the generosity behind a gift. It’s one thing to be excited about a desired item gifted to us, and something very different to appreciate and value all the gift represents. There are times when I catch a glimpse of the breath-taking nature of divine love, and something begins to emerge from my soul before I even consciously know it. It is my inner being rejoicing, yet as I am in that state of awe, there is also a tug or nudge I notice. In such moments, my life or the decisions I am making may not honor or align with the very thing that spurred the rejoicing in the first place. And though I may not be able to pause the songs of grateful praise, there is a cognitive dissonance that is equally discomforting. I have a choice in the moment, yet if there is any authenticity to my rejoicing, then there is no real choice in the matter—change needs to happen so that my life and the decisions I am making honor and align with everything the gift of divine love represents. Your thoughts?
Be my guide, God of immeasurable and unconditional love. Bring me deeper within myself to see where change is needed and to keep me believing that change is truly possible. Amen.
