This Advent reflection was prepared by Sr. M. Necitas, a PDDM sister in Hongkong who assists overseas workers in the growth of their spirituality through the liturgy."Advent of the Heart" - I try to relish the inner dynamics of God's heart as he makes his journey of "fetching us back home" in the mystery of his Incarnation. It is a journey of love and an advent of the heart, his and ours. Every step is brought about by different symbols opulent with meaning and vitality.
1. The Tent: symbol of binding and loosing and of a life that caters to what is essential. The tent always directs us to the road and to a journey. It is a call to leave "my land and country" and go to God's unknown land. It is God's first call to intimacy. If you obey, the "blessing" comes. (Cf. Abraham’s story in Genesis 12ff) This call finds echo in our day to day human relationships. If we find value in a relationship, in moments of challenges and crisis, we let go and let loose, only to experience greater and deeper binding with each other.
2. The Land: symbol of holding, grounding and nourishing. God has always a place for us in his heart. He makes this entire journey just to reach our heart. The land is not meant to be possessed but to be used for our own fulfillment in him. Land is where we exercise our being co-creators with God in the use of God-given talents through activities of freedom and responsibility. Every activity in this land is meant to be an opportunity to let God penetrate the expanse of our lives. In this second call to intimacy we are challenged to obey, to surrender to the path of God even as we travel along arid, desert, and shadowy land.
Our temptation is to go back to our own slavery where everything is just set before us without practicing any sense of responsibility and freedom. We are comfortable that way even as others dictate and manipulate us. We can't make a stance of whatever state we are in. We are reduced to slavery. Relish the wrestling of Israel with her God who wants to draw his people to him and lead them to a land rich with milk and honey (cf Genesis 32:25ff).
In human relationships conflicts and confrontation need to take place, so that one’s greatness, the expanse of one’s heart and its capacity to love may emerge. At this stage the love-journey makes itself dependent upon the other, the "beloved," and thus, goes beyond borders and limits. (Cf. Israel’s journey in Exodus 15ff).
3. The Temple: symbol of the glorious and majestic dwelling place of God. God comes closer and closer in his intimacy with us; God-love wants to dwell in the "beloved." He continues to immerse himself in our own drama of sin where he turns out to be a shepherd in the valley of darkness only to bring us back to himself. “Shadow lines,” that’s where God makes us feel his love even closer. Here, God’s deeper compassion emerges; we are overwhelmed and we attempt a loving response. We wish to make for God a house made by our own hand so we could be close to him (cf 2 Samuel 7:1-13). God opposes: only he can make his own temple. The temple comes in the person of his Son. In the journey of human relationships, now and then the temptation to possess comes to us that is, to let the "loved one" ever dwell by our side. Every temptation is an opportunity for a greater response of surrender to our Maker. We must move on to the next part of the journey.
4. The Womb: symbol of capacity to receive and surrender to the work of God. So God found the human person able to cooperate fully to his plans (cf Luke 1:26-38). In her flesh, Mary gives birth to the Son of God. As she participates in the growth of her Son, from the womb to adulthood she too grew and matured in total identification with her Son. Filled with hope even beneath the cross, surely again and again, she allowed herself to be challenged by the initial announcement of the Angel to her - “Do not be afraid.” She is the Mother of the Son of God. He lives. Her faith is eventually confirmed. With her we move on to the next station.
5. The Heart: the center of humanity is the heart. At this stage God, the lover, humbles himself totally tobecome dependent upon us. Such is the greatness of God. He goes and pleads for our yes, deep in our heart. The Creator appeals to his creature. Here is the climax of the call for greater intimacy. Will I hearken and make an option for this God who makes himself so little, so poor, making himself a slave for us?
6. The Crib: yes, see the people around: who are they, surrounding the Word-made-flesh? The poor, the shepherds, (and later, in his public ministry) the lame, the blind, the oppressed. We too are there. The crib draws us again to our heart to pose this question to us: Am I that poor and available to my God, present in every person who knocks at my door asking for my time, my listening heart, loving attention?
In this time of preparation for the birth of the Word-made-flesh, the Son of God, may we all enter into the mystery of God's compassion and relish the inner dynamics of his heart.
