Second Monday of Advent, 7 December 2020 – Memorial of St. Ambrose
In today’s reflection, Waiting in Joyful Hope author Michelle Francl-Donnay reflects on Luke 5:20, and the crazy stuff we do for love of God.
In the comments section below, share your own response to today’s scripture, Francl-Donnay’s reflection, or the accompanying meditation prompt.
When I see the words “Holy Madness,” I think of the madness that was waiting to marry so long, then the wait for a child. My family thought I was mad to be single for so long, or to want to be settled in my marriage before having children. I was bucking traditions. But I dared to leave these events in God’s hands. Madness has blessed me with the perfect husband and a beloved son. Sanity is overrated.
Today’s reflection from Waiting in Joyful Hope ends with a prayer for “the strength to dare to be bearers of the holy for each other.” What do you picture when you read this prayer? Does it describe an act of vulnerability—when you hand to someone a painful experience, a joyful insight, anything that is holy to you, and you offer to share it or ask them to help you carry it? There’s definitely risk involved in doing that, but Jesus demonstrated for us that there is no communion without such vulnerability.