Word to the Wise
Monday, December 21, 2020 - December 21
[Cant 2:8-14 or Zeph 3:14-18a and Luke 1:39-45]Arise, my beloved, my beautiful one, and come! Let me see you, let me hear your voice, for your voice is sweet, and you are lovely. [Song of Songs] Shout for joy, O daughter Zion! Sing joyfully, O Israel! The Lord, your God, is in your midst, a mighty savior; he will rejoice over you with gladness, and renew you in his love, he will sing joyfully because of you, as one sings at festivals! [Zephaniah] "Most blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb. And how does this happen to me, that the mother of my Lord should come to me? For at the moment the sound of your greeting reached my ears, the infant in my womb leaped for joy. Blessed are you who believed that what was spoken to you by the Lord would be fulfilled." [Luke]
Parents and grandparents know well the giddiness and impatience that their kids begin to show as Christmas Day draws near! Presents begin to pile up and hopes for that fat figure in red grow strong. As the carol puts it, "It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas!!" It would appear we have the same feeling in the scriptures assigned for this day. The Song of Songs is a frankly erotic piece of love poetry that expresses great expectation! Zephaniah shows a heel-clicking joy at the anticipated presence of a messiah! Elizabeth speaks for herself AND John of the joy of the "Lord in our midst."
One hopes that this joy can take on a good contagious quality to battle the contagious virus that afflicts us and threatens to be the "Grinch that stole Christmas." The three traditional theological virtues of faith, hope and charity are called forth from the manger to enable us to find joy and share it with those who have reason to mourn in this holy season. Faith enables us to see in that child a savior. Hope enables us to move away from the scene to proclaim the promise and charity to act in generosity so that we "put skin on" the joy of the birth of Christ! AMEN