Article 3 of Advent Series: Mystery connects to Joy

This Advent, we have looked at Mountains and know that the Lord is with us for the climb.  We have looked at Mary, know we have a Mother whose story has brought people together for the ages in the Flower Prophecy as well as through the titles of the Immaculate Conception and Our Lady of Guadalupe.  Now, we will look at Mystery as mystery is the crucial element which connects us to joy.   So, we will look at mystery in three dimensions pertaining to our readings for 3rd Monday of Advent:  in general, pertaining to discernment and authority (Gospel), as well as hope (1st Reading).

First, mystery in general.  A mystery is something that is logical, but that we can’t completely comprehend it.   Like suffering, we can understand why it is happening objectively, but subjectively it can be hard to understand.  For example, someone gets cancer which objectively is an abnormal growth of cells.   But subjectively, why did I have to get cancer?   Another example is the Trinity.   We can understand that the Trinity is one God, three Divine Persons, as a Tri-unity of love (God is love- see 1Jn. 4:8).   But to completely comprehend the completeness of the Trinity, an infinite being is impossible because we have finite minds. 

I had an Eastern Rite friend that I was talking to about trying to figure out something at the parish.   He said to me, “you don’t have to solve it or figure it out as you like to do in the West. You have to try to take in more of an Eastern [rite] mentality and get comfortable with mystery.”  We often want to understand everything completely, but sometimes we cannot in this life.  It is just like a wife who comes to her husband to tell her about her horrible day.  Sometimes she comes to the husband, not to fix the problem, but simply to know that he cares enough to listen.  He cares enough to be with her “in the mystery” of her day.  This can show love because “love is patient” (1Cor. 13:4).  This is important because if we try to solve life, it can often lead us frustrated.  After all, “who can completely comprehend the mind of God” (see Rom. 11:34; 1Cor. 2:16). 

This brings us to the Gospel and the application of mystery pertaining to authority and discernment.  Who you listen to or give authority to in your life will affect how you choose your actions.   As Dr. Greg Popcak says in a very powerful quote:

We often pray to God, but listen to the Devil

We saw this in the Gospel.   The chief priest and elders say, “Give us an answer” and when God gives them an answer, they did not want to respond.   We do like the Pharisees in our prayers in going to one or two extremes.  We think, “well how do I know this is from God-  Is it of “divine origin” or the opposite, I know it is from God but what will people think?  As we discern, we stay in these extremes, so we look for a way out, run away and say, “I never got an answer.”

This is not how discernment should go.   We must give God authority in our lives and listen to His answers, even if they are hard to swallow or challenge us. To give God authority in life brings consolation – a spirit of fervor and peace because you are moving towards God.  To give anything other than God authority in your life brings desolation – a spirit of despair/sloth/anger because you are moving away from God.  Like the Pharisees, many live in desolation because they live life according to the authority of fear, not God.  But we must remember, “true love casts out all fear” (1Jn. 4:18).   When we live in the consolation of choosing God and not in the desolation of fear, we can come to the mystery of hope.

The mystery of hope is the third aspect of this reflection and ties everything together.  We all have fears, anxieties in life, but God calls us to hope and joy.   This was the prophet Balaam.  He was a non-Israelite prophet in the time of Moses who the king of Moab sent (and paid) to curse Israel so they would not conquer Moab.  On the way to curse Israel, the donkey Balaam was riding sees an angel in the road and stops.  Balaam was like, “what are you doing donkey” and starts to beat it.  The donkey continues not to move forward and then all of sudden we get the blueprint for Shrek because the donkey starts to speak to Balaam, “What have I done to you, that you have struck me these three times?” (Num. 22: 28).   This shocks Balaam because his donkey is talking to him and eventually Balaam’s eyes are opened, and he sees the angel as well.  Then Balam instead of cursing Israel, he ends up blessing Israel.   This is the mystery of God:  What man intends for evil, God intends and can bring about good!  We see this in the Old Testament Joseph who was sold to Egypt by his brothers, but he ended up in the mystery of God saving both Egypt and his brothers from a famine.  Jesus was crucified, the greatest evil ever, but in the mystery of God, from that evil was brought about the greatest good, our salvation.   This is the reason we can have hope. In the mystery of God: Desperation can lead to inspiration, walls of frustration that feel like stones can become stepping stones of grace;  our mess can be turned into a message.   This is the Mystery of God, the mystery of Grace!

So, this Advent and always, let us remember to be comfortable with mystery, to discern who we give authority properly so we can find consolation in God, not desolation in listening to the devil, and let us remember the mystery of hope which leads to the joy we were made.  “I have told you these things so my joy may be within you and that your joy may be complete” (Jn. 10:10).  Let us continue to go towards the mystery of having Peaceful Hearts, Zealous Hearts in the Lord.     

Pick up a copy of Deacon Anthony’s book, Peaceful Hearts, Zealous Hearts published by Sophia Press for this Advent and Christmas.