The WORD in ADVENT - December 24
Christmas Novena - Day 92 Samuel 7: 1-5, 8-12, 14, 16; Luke 1: 67-79
Awe is the third and most important trait to receive the Lord. Translated as fear of God, it is a sense of spiritual wonder, the capacity to be open to the doings of the Lord. Without a sense of wonder, no one can even perceive the Lord, let alone receiving the Lord.
Very often we think of our spirituality as doing something for God - going to the Church, saying prayers, participating in Mass... all these are important, yes! But more important is our openness to God, allowing God to work in us, listening to God, looking to understand what God communicates to us here and now! Is it you who would build a house for the Lord, asks prophet Nathan to David... God would build you a house!
David who was a simple shepherd boy was built into a house - the House of David: about which both the first reading and the Gospel speak of today. God built David into a house, a house, a lineage in which the Saviour of the humankind would be born. What an awesome feat of God. Imagine if David had rebelled and said, 'No I would by all means build a house for God', after all building the temple of the Lord was a noble thing.
Doing a noble thing is good, but more important and crucial is doing what God wants us to do and the most noble thing is surrendering to the Lord and allowing the Lord to do what the Lord wants with us, with a sense of awe! At times in our busy 'doing' that we forget 'to be' in the presence of God. Let us keep this as the highest priority today... as we are just a few hours from celebrating the awesome mystery of incarnation, let us stay in awe, remain in wonder at the marvels of the Lord, the immensity of the Love that the Lord shares with us this Christmas!
Let us open our heart and our mind, that we may receive the Lord in awe! The Lord is not just near... but the Lord is here!!! We celebrate the Rising Star, the Morning Star that announces the break of day! The Lord comes to rule in our hearts, not just the world... let us prepare ourselves... for the Lord is here.