December 22
Each Advent, we hear of the joyful meeting between expectant mothers Mary and Elizabeth. Have you ever imagined their later encounters? They become the proud mothers of prophets and survivors of sons tortured and murdered in brutal structures of power.
Over the course of their lives, each embrace is different. Sometimes, one woman has more to give, and the other has a deeper need. Sometimes, one of them has already been there and knows what to say. Sometimes, there is nothing to say.
I am reminded of my own encounters with a beloved cousin. Our embrace at her father's funeral last spring felt nothing like our embrace at my daughter's baptism or at one another’s weddings. Each told its own story, but each was part of the bigger story — the infinite story — of our living, dying, and rising.
Call to mind an embrace you have received. Who held you? How did it honor the mystery in and around your life? Have you been that person for another?
Bridget Deegan-Krause, M. Div, BCC
Sponsor Director
Bon Secours Mercy Health
Pause
What grace have you received by an embrace? Who awaits an embrace from you?
Pray
God, who is hope, shine Your light in our darkness so that we may continue to build Your kingdom. Let us be reflections of Your brilliance, always working to make Your goodness known. In Your Holy Name we pray, Amen.