The Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary is special to me and all the other Sisters of Notre Dame. For me, my home parish in Bellevue, Ohio, was titled Immaculate Conception. For all us Sisters, it is the patronal feast of our province, which is the whole United States. Recently I read the chapter titled “Mariam the Magnificent” in Always a Guest by Barbara Brown Taylor, an Episcopal priest.  (I highly recommend this book!) The image of Mary I most appreciated in this chapter is this: “the timid teenager who is blessed, the one who accepts Gabriel’s proposal when he comes on God’s behalf to ask for her hand.” The author suggests that Protestants prefer the timid, quiet Mary. Yet she goes on to write about the outspoken Mary as seen in her prophetic Magnificat, along with the “chutzpah to question the angel Gabriel when he presents her with God’s plan.” The author continues: “Depending on what she says (all you can do is ask), her answer could be the best verse yet in the song God has been singing since Sinai: ‘I will walk among you and be your God, and you will be my people’ (Lev. 26:12 NIV).

Before Jesus tells the parable of the lone sheep that strayed from the herd of one hundred, he asks “What is your opinion?” A question like that would make the listeners very attentive. There will be a quiz! Maybe we should make Bible bookmarks with the question “What is your opinion?” I’m sure Jesus will be just as interested in your answer as he was to that first group of listeners to hear the parable.

In Advent we remember the Old Testament stories leading up to the coming of the Messiah. That’s memory. We also look to the endtimes, or Parousia, when all will be united in Christ. That’s majesty. We become more aware of how Christ comes in every moment of our lives. That’s mystery. Memory, majesty, mystery: m-m-m- the sound we make at something good to eat. Yes, Advent is a time for good things. Are you awake to all the good that you can do during this blessed time?

Do you try to give up the four S’s? Sweets, salt, starches, second helpings. Perhaps you’ve tried watching your weight, but have you ever waited in watch? Watching weight aids our physical well-being. Waiting in watch enhances our spiritual well-being. The short, joyous, penitential season of Advent focuses on the past, present, and future all at once. Even as we wait in joyful hope, we are already in the endtimes inchoatively as we proclaim the death of the Lord until he comes. The Second Coming at the end of the world shows us that the first coming in Bethlehem was not just a visit. Rather the Incarnation continues in Christ’s permanent presence with us. As we wait watching for the Second Coming, be aware that Christ comes in mystery through every moment of our lives. Did you see Him today?

The opening prayer of Advent asks God for “resolve to run forth to meet your Christ.” The First Reading bids “Come, let us climb the Lord’s mountain.” It sounds as if we’ll need a lot of energy and stamina between now and Christmas. But don’t rest up for the journey. Habitually we’re told to “awake from sleep.” Actually, we’re to “make no provisions for the desires of the flesh.” Why so much running? Why so little sleeping? Why can’t we pamper our bodies a little? Well, it’s just that stage in the world’s history. Christ has already come as the Head of Creation. Christ is always coming in the ordinary stuff of life—like the eating and drinking mentioned in the Gospel. But the focus?  Christ will be coming! We’re called to the future. We’re called to live an eschatological way of life. What does that mean? Make a better future. Try to make this time look more like the end times at the Second Coming. How so? The Scriptures say nothing about Heifer International, research for cures, making food baskets, caroling in nursing homes. Or does it? Isn’t that Advent’s outcome? You gave food and money and a helping hand. Come, inherit the Kingdom, because you made every moment a chance to meet Christ now and in his return.

In our earthly liturgy (Sunday Mass) we participate in the heavenly liturgy, incipiently sharing in the liturgy and life of the blessed in heaven. How can we experience this wondrous connection? In every Mass we are made one with all the saints and angels, transcending time and space. “No eye has seen,” but our connection with the banquet of heaven is real. “The hymn of praise that Christ places within the heart and on the lips of the Church will be sung at the end of time in all its fullness, when all the members gather at the wedding feast of the Lamb in the heavenly Jerusalem. That same hymn is sung today by the Church whenever the liturgy is celebrated. For every time the Church gathers for prayer, she is joined to Christ’s priesthood…. The sacred liturgy is a window to eternity and a glimpse of what God calls us to be” (Built of Living Stones 14-15).

Jesus Christ is the First and Best Sacrament. From his life, death, and resurrection (Paschal Mystery) comes all grace, our salvation. While Christ established the Kingdom, he let it up to us, the People of God, to dispense this grace. The Church (we) do this in many ways. (Actually we live in grace.) Our seven sacraments are based on the life of Jesus, who healed, forgave, gave his Body and Blood for spiritual food, and so on. From Jesus’ actions the Church provided the words and symbols of the sacraments. After all, Jesus left no Roman Missals in the hands of the Eleven. Rather, Jesus gave his Holy Spirit, who guided the apostles and their successors down the course of history. Through them and continuing today in our Pope and bishops, the rituals and names of the sacraments may change. For example, we used to say Extreme Unction, now we say Anointing of the Sick. The essence has not changed gives grace.

I prefer spontaneity to routine, but both have their merits. While routine allows the chance to focus on the present, spontaneity adds an unexpected energizing spark to the day. Plans may have to be shelved for a while, but returning to those plans after a spontaneous break seems very beneficial. Today I said to the two sisters with whom I live, “Let’s pack some fruit, cheese and crackers and go to the “lake.” (Well, it’s not really a lake, but we call it that.) Within a few minutes we had a picnic packed and headed for Lake Lial, the property in Whitehouse, Ohio, that serves as a retreat center, school, and home for 40 sisters. It was an unusually warm, beautiful day for October. Who wouldn’t want to be outside? We loved the colorful trees at their peak of brilliance, the lapping of the lake, the crunch of leaves. Yet I think we loved the spontaneity more.

November 6 is National Vocations Awareness Day. A vocation is a call from God usually supported by a call from the community to do something special for God and the Church. Generally we speak of three vocations: the married life, the single life, and the life of someone consecrated to God as a priest, sister, brother, or deacon. Within these states of life we have our own personal vocation, that is, our personal call from God to live the life of Christ in a specific way. In our personal vocation we have our own particular way to talk to God and respond to God, as well as a particular work to do for God’s Church. Sometimes this personal vocation can be summed up in a line of Scripture. Which line of the Bible fits you the best? Because vocations are often sparked by encouragement from the community, give affirmation to young persons about their qualities that the Church needs.  “You’d make a great lector.” “Have you ever considered becoming a priest or deacon?” “I’m impressed by your reverence when serving.”

Across the street are several trees that form a rainbow. The top stripe is red, the next one is yellow, and the bottom stripe is green. The stripes curve somewhat on both sides, forming a rainbow arc. If rainbows bring luck—but I haven’t asked my neighbors if I could find the pot of gold probably behind the recycle bin—then I am very lucky to have a window facing such a phenomenon.