We hear the prophet Isaiah proclaim: “I, the LORD, your God, teach you what is for your good, and lead you on the way you should go.” Observe a moment when you are driving down the roads here in the Jackson area. You will see a lot of people driving to work or running errands, many times in the car by themselves. When we are in the car alone, sometimes we are absorbed with what we are listening to on the radio. Sometimes we are absorbed in our own thoughts and our own dreams. But our faith calls us to a bigger overall journey: to journey with our brothers and sister to the city of God. All of us may be headed somewhere on our earthly journey each day in our hectic daily lives, but let us not lose sight of where God is directing us, so that we can share that journey with others, through prayer, through acts of charity, to living out our faith as an example of the world.
Today we also celebrate St John of the Cross - Carmelite monk, mystic, Church reformer, poet, and Doctor of the Church. John lived in Spain the 15th century during the time of the Protestant Reformation and the Spanish Inquisition. Mystics, poets, and Church reformers by their very definition see the world a bit differently than most people and they push through boundaries and barriers. John received much resistance from the Church hierarchy and from the superiors of the Carmelite order. Yet, in his mysticism and his poetry he leaves us a great legacy. John of the Cross can be seen as a true Advent prophet who helps us prepare the way for the Lord in our lives as we anticipate the birth of Jesus into our world. John writes: “O night, that guided me! O night, sweeter than sunrise! O night, that joined lover with Beloved! Lover transformed in Beloved!” John of the Cross, we pray that you accompany us on our journey as we prepare for the birth of our beloved Lord and Savior.
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