How Strange

In the early morning dark and drizzle I arrived, went inside and knelt down. I couldn’t muster the fortitude to say any prayers, I was just there physically. I troubled about this becoming an early bird’s meaningless habit. It didn’t feel special. Yet, I knew it should be an important event. I sorta daydreamed though the opening prayers and first reading. Father read from Matthew’s Gospel…about the birth of Jesus. The same old story so many times I had heard. Mary betrothed but not yet married to Joseph…She turns up pregnant…Joseph starts to bail…some angel in his dream tells him that; the Holy Spirit did it and the kid would be call Emmanuel, a.k.a. “God with us”. I couldn’t help but think how strange this all would be today. I couldn’t help but think how strange our God is. Why would God do this? What if I were in Joseph’s shoes/sandals? How would I react? How much stranger this must have been two thousand years ago when you were stoned to death for being “with child” out of wedlock. That would be a bummer.
As my mind wondered and wandered…I came-to during the consecration. Some little voice inside of me said, “Just go with it…no matter how strange or mysterious it all seems.” That’s when an overwhelming gorge of gratitude served up with a large portion of unworthiness smothered in endless mercy choked me up and rendered me speechless. The words would not come out as I moved my lips, “Lamb of God, you take away the sins of the world, have mercy on us”.

Thank you, Father God for being so strange/
For You have the power that makes me change/
Thank you, Lord Jesus for being with us/
For this indeed is worth the fuss/
Amen.




Log entry dated 12-18-2009