Word to the Wise
Wednesday, December 3, 2008 - St. Francis Xavier, SJ - Missionary
[Isaiah 25:6-10 and Matthew 15:29-37]The Lord God will wipe away the tears from all faces; the reproach of his people he will remove from the whole earth......
Tears (including my own) are part of pastoral ministry! I have wiped away many a tear, figuratively and literally, from grieving or hurting eyes! And I have had the great good fortune to have close friends who have done the same for me. Any parent knows the importance of the gesture as one of assurance to a child who has fallen or is disappointed in a necessary parental decision! Indeed, tears are a healthy expression of sorrow and it is well said that the most bitter tears are the ones that remain unshed! Can we imagine the extent of the loss of hope that those who live in zones of armed conflict must endure? Can we reach out to those who, in this season of anticipation of joy, have only their sorrow to lean on from the loss of a loved one or the destruction of a home or the loss of a job? The gesture of God wiping away the tears of those who mourn or suffer is exemplified in the gospel picture of Jesus today which speaks of his ministry of healing: The crowds were amazed when they saw the mute speaking, the deformed made whole, the lame walking, and the blind able to see.......Jesus summoned his disciples and said, "My heart is moved with pity for the crowd......." To remove the tears is to remove the reproach in so many ways that brought them about. We can't just send gift-wrapped kleenex to those who are in tears. We must bring it and extend it and apply it and represent the one whose birth in this season is the reason why there is hope! AMEN
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