Faith Daily | 10 December 2021

PRAYER of the DAY - Advent Two APBA p466

Merciful God,

who sent your messenger John the Baptist

to preach repentance and prepare the way for our salvation:

give us grace to heed his warning and forsake our sins,

that we may greet with joy the coming of our Redeemer,

Jesus Christ our Lord,

who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,

one God, now and for ever.

Amen.

GOSPEL for the Day: Matthew 11: 16-19

16“But to what will I compare this generation? It is like children sitting in the marketplaces and calling to one another, 17‘We played the flute for you, and you did not dance; we wailed, and you did not mourn.’ 18For John came neither eating nor drinking, and they say, ‘He has a demon’; 19the Son of Man came eating and drinking, and they say, ‘Look, a glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners!’ Yet wisdom is vindicated by her deeds.”

GOSPEL Reflection: Contributed by: Kathy Allen

Why is it, do you think, that some people will always have something to say about the behaviour of others? John the Baptist was leading an austere lifestyle and was called a demon. Jesus broke bread with everyone and was called a glutton. Human behaviour has not changed much since Jesus’ time. In part, this is a survival mechanism – we judge who is a threat to our safety and who is not; however, we waste a lot of energy convincing ourselves of our own ‘rightness’ and our right to pass judgment on others. We struggle to accept difference. We say to ourselves, “I could manage better if this or that person was just a little bit more like me.” All this negativity can become very draining over time. Certainly, all societies demand standards of behaviour that must pass the ‘pub test’. The problem is that there is more than one pub. Imagine if we could look through the eyes of the One who sees all but casts out no one and accepts all if they will come to Him.

No one should feel left out and everyone should find a place for company and acceptance, to be included. It seems to me that political wokeness is actually diminishing the notion of ‘inclusivity’. When words are overused for personal or political gain, they tend to become catch phrases almost devoid of meaning. Instead of ‘woke’ let us be humble in our journey to do as Jesus did and accept perceived difference with a more open heart.

FINAL PRAYER: http://jesuitprayer.org

Come as you are, that’s how I want you.

Come as you are: feel quite at home,

close to my heart, loved and forgiven.

Come as you are: why stand alone?

TIS 693

Let the words of my mouth and the mediation of my heart be acceptable to you, O Lord, my rock and my redeemer.

Psalm 19.14