TIME AND THE MYSTERY OF THE INCARNATION

“But when the fulness of time had come, God sent his Son, born of a woman, born under the law, to ransom those under the law, so that we might receive adoption. ~Galatians 4:4-5

Despite my many warts, I am a reasonably peaceable guy, and I’ve not made too many enemies over the course of life. However, I find that I’m always in some sort of a figurative fist fight or game of tug o’ war with the clock! Like many people, the clock seems to move too slowly when I’m waiting in line, but it seems to race like a stallion when I’m trying to finish a project with a deadline in mind.

Time is one of the very elements that differentiates our existence as mortal, finite creatures of the flesh from that of God the Father, who is immortal, incorporeal, and exists outside of time. However, in his infinite wisdom and providence, God willed to step into world of time, by taking human form and being born from the Blessed Virgin Mary. In his human nature, Jesus Christ experienced the struggles of the passage of time more than any other human being. How slowly the time must have seemed to pass as he fasted for forty days in the desert, enduring the bitter Agony in the Garden, and ultimately suffered a prolonged and excruciating passion to redeem sinful humanity.

As human beings, we know that one of the ways in which you show a family member or close friend that you love them is by spending quality time with them. Likewise, Christ showed forth the generosity of the eternal, divine Godhead, in how he lived out his being in time. In the Gospel of Mark, Chapter 6, shortly after Jesus learned of the death of his cousin and forerunner, John the Baptist, he was unquestionably downhearted, and likely wanting to be alone. However, he realized at that time that a “vast crowd” in need, and “his heart was moved with pity for them, for they were like sheep without a shepherd.” Shortly thereafter, he worked one of the greatest miracles of his ministry on earth: the feeding of five thousand people through the multiplication of five loaves and two fishes.

The Church likewise values time as a means of drawing the faithful deeply into the mysteries of the Christ’s Incarnation, Death, and Resurrection. The Liturgical Year, which we begin afresh this weekend, is one of the greatest treasures of the Universal Church. As we begin with this season of Advent, we not only recall the long anticipation of the Ancient Israelites as they awaited the coming of the Messiah, but we also ponder our own contemporary position in Salvation History as we awaited the Second Coming of the Lord. As such, we are admonished in today’s Gospel to be “watchful and alert” ready ourselves for that unknown day and hour. We have been given the gift of time to prepare our hearts and minds for Christ’s coming, and we must take care not to squander that gift.

I would now like to offer three practical means of savoring this time. The first and most important is to avail yourself of the beautiful Sacrament of Reconciliation. Times are listed on page 7 of the bulletin. The second, is to carve out time for quiet, undistracted contemplation. Finally, I would recommend attending our annual Advent Lessons and Carols on Saturday, December 9 at 7:00pm. This is a joyful and festive way to take in the scriptures that tell of the coming of the Messiah along with beloved carols and songs both in English and Polish. This service will be followed by a reception in Kolbe Hall. Above all, we should be joyful in this season as we contemplate that Christ’s entry into sufferings of time opened for us the glories of eternity.

~Sam Backman, Director of Sacred Music