Dear Parishioners,
“Why were you looking for me?” It’s the question the boy Jesus asks his parents upon them finding him in the temple. It’s a profound question, and one we can meditate upon today in our own lives. “Why were you looking for me?”
A Hindu swami once said the difference between Christianity and Hinduism is that in Hinduism, man searches for God; in Christianity, God searches for man. It’s actually quite true, I think. All the way back in the Garden of Eden, after Adam disobeyed God by eating the forbidden apple, he and Eve hid from God in the trees. “The Lord God then called to the man and asked him: Where are you? He answered, ‘I heard you in the garden; but I was afraid, because I was naked, so I hid’” (Genesis 3:9-10). God went searching for Adam. God then went searching for David out in the field when he was looking for the righteous king of Israel. He went searching for David again when David hid himself in the castle after sinning with Bethsheba. And God would constantly go in search to find the lost kings and people of Israel in the subsequent generations, as evidenced by the prophets, who are constantly trying to bring Israel out of its hiding place.
God is the one in search of us. Ponder on the significance of that. We often think it’s the opposite. God, we think, is some distant, hidden, unobtainable figure. We have to figure out the impossible algorithm of prayer to reach him; we have to read as many theology books as possible to understand him; we have to live the perfect moral life to have access to him.
But it’s not that way. God is right before us, right outside of our closed door. We simply need to open it for him.
I remember when I was a child and I was upset about something I would go to my room and close the door. Usually I’d lie in bed and pout. After some time my mom or dad would come up to my room and knock on the door, asking if they could come in and if everything was alright. “Go away!” I might shout. But I actually didn’t want them to go away. I actually wanted them to come in. I was too proud or confused or immature to be able to say that. And my parents, being wise and holy as they were, knew that and would come in anyways, regardless of what I was saying. They were in search of their struggling child.
God is very much in search of us. We might be in our locked rooms, upset about something. We might be out wandering somewhere. We might have ‘hitched our ride,’ so to speak, with someone other than Jesus. God remains right by our side, patiently waiting for us. It’s for us to let ourselves be found.
How do we let ourselves be found? Well, one way is to make that one of our petitions. Please, Jesus, help me to stop hiding from you. Help me to be real and vulnerable before you. I desire to be found by you and to love you. I give you everything.
May all of our doors be opened in the new year and may the King of Glory enter.
+
I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas. Safe travels to those who are away, especially school families. Thank you again to all who made our Christmas Masses beautiful: the sacristans, ushers, servers, musicians, church/gym decorators, and many others. So many people volunteer their time and effort to help make our parish run smoothly–you are a gift to us. May God bless all of you.
On this feast of the Holy Family, I want to thank everyone who contributes to our twice-a-month family Mass down in the Holy Family Chapel. It’s great to be down there with you all and have our children experiencing the warmth of our faith.
Wednesday, January 1st is the Solemnity of Mary, the Mother of God, a holy day of obligation. We will have a vigil Mass for the solemnity on Tuesday, December 31st at 5pm. Masses on Wednesday morning will be 7:30am and 9am. The rest of the week will have the normal daily Mass schedule.
Happy New Year to all of you. May 2025 be a year filled with much love, joy, and grace. My prayers for you and your loved ones.
Yours in Christ,
Fr. James Wallace
Comments