Wednesday, December 23, 2015

4th Sunday of Advent, Cycle B - December 20, 2015

4th Sunday of Advent
Cycle C
December 20, 2015      9:00 and 11:00am
Saint Margaret Parish, Bel Air

 

A Soldier and a Woman

  

Last year, the Boston Globe carried a memorable story.

It takes place at the Denver airport.  A 46-year-old woman is sitting near the gate where she is waiting to board her plane.

She glances up and sees a young man in front of her.  There are a number of empty seats in the waiting area, but he nods his head at the seat next to her.

Her suitcase is blocking that seat.  She is mildly annoyed, but she moves the suitcase.

The young man sits down and drops his duffel bag at his feet.  He is wearing a U.S. Army camouflage uniform.

He asks, “Where you headed?”  She responds, “Home.”

He then tells her that he has just returned from Afghanistan and is heading to Florida to surprise his mother.  He hasn’t seen her for five years.

The woman notices that when he looks at her, his eyes show need – some need.  He wants something from her, but at first, she doesn’t know what.     

She also notices that he keeps scanning the terminal.  He says that it’s hard to stop scanning for danger.

Yesterday he was in the desert.  Some fellow soldiers had been killed.

Today, he is in an airport where the biggest issues are waiting for a latte or being upset over a flight delay.  He admits that he doesn’t know how to be here in this place.

The woman now senses what he may want from her.  So she opens her heart a bit and tells him that just last week, her friend’s teenage son had died suddenly.

She shares that she is a mother and she has felt so disoriented and distant from the everyday world.  With that, the soldier seems to relax.

They had made a connection.  The woman writes: “He had seen the raw and the unbearable.

“He knew that it was not the time of the flight, or a latte that was his concern.  But he did not know how to tell me.

“This was what he needed from me – what we all need.  He did not want the seat beside mine.   

“He wanted to sit with me.  He needed to feel safe and understood for a while.”

Mary and Elizabeth

That soldier and that woman and their visit together, and the visit of Mary and Elizabeth in today’s gospel have an important lesson.

Mary travels to visit Elizabeth.  She knows that she needs time with this older woman – for Elizabeth’s sake, and for her own sake too.

Elizabeth is surprised by Mary’ unexpected visit.  But she welcomes it and gives herself to it.

The soldier seeks out this woman at the airport.  He knows that he needs someone at that moment and senses that he will feel safe with her.

The woman is a bit annoyed at first.  But she is there for him in a remarkable way.

Remember What Is Important

I see a simple, but important lesson here, especially at this time of year.

Let’s be aware of the persons in our lives.  Let’s take the initiative to be with them and to share what is really going on with us.

In turn, let’s be open to the family member or friend or just someone we know who reaches out to us.  Let’s be alert and give that person some attention.

Underneath all the glitz and busyness of these December days, this is what’s really important.  In fact, this is what our celebration of the birth of Christ is all about – a person, and in him, each person.

So, let’s make persons first.  Maybe some very needed personal support will occur. 

Maybe a relationship will get enriched or reconciled.  These connections with one another are Godly moments. 

Mary and Elizabeth sit with each other and end up seeing the hand of God at work.  The soldier and the woman sit with each other and a God-filled experience happens for both of them. 


So maybe the question for this Sunday before Christmas is this: With whom do I need to sit?  Or, who needs to sit with me?