It was the Jesuit Pierre Teilhard de Chardin who once said, ‘Joy is the most infallible sign of the presence of God.’ Love, joy and presence are put before us today as we begin to come to the end of our Advent journey. The reading from the Song of Songs is one of the most beautiful and poetic in all of Scripture. The beloved has come. The Winter has past, the beauty of Spring abounds and my beloved, ‘like a gazelle’ has come bounding over the hills. After the long night we long to see the face of the beloved and hear their voice.

Advent is drawing quickly to a close. The Winter of our longing is giving way to the gift of Spring. The joy of love is in the air. This joy is the spontaneous response of Elizabeth when she sights Mary and hears her voice.

Our lives are full of visitations or as Pope Francis loves to remind us, ‘of encounters.’ In these encounters we come quietly, humbly, and expectantly to the stories of others and their innate dignity. Mary models that beautifully for us. The encounter of Mary with Elizabeth and Elizabeth with Mary is not about doing. It is about being deeply present and presence says, ‘you are beautiful, you are lovable, you are gift – just as you are!’

If we have walked our Advent journey with fidelity, trust and faith, what will be the response when the people of our day hear our voice? Like Elizabeth, it will be a response of joy. But it is not about us. Our journey into the eyes, ears and heart of Christ now means that we are his eyes, ears and heart. Through us and the ordinariness of our journeys – Christ, Emmanuel, will be revealed in our day-to-day world.

Deo Gratias!

by Br Damien Price cfc