Reveal -- Tuesday of the First Week of Advent

Jesus rejoiced in the Holy Spirit and said, “I give you praise, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, for although you have hidden these things from the wise and the learned you have revealed them to the childlike. Yes, Father, such has been your gracious will. All things have been handed over to me by my Father. No one knows who the Son is except the Father, and who the Father is except the Son and anyone to whom the Son wishes to reveal him.” Turning to the disciples in private he said, “Blessed are the eyes that see what you see. For I say to you, many prophets and kings desired to see what you see, but did not see it, and to hear what you hear, but did not hear it.” -- Luke 10:21-24

Reveal

One of the biggest things about the days and weeks leading up to Christmas is that we are waiting to see what will be revealed when we open our presents on Christmas morning. When we pull back that paper, what will we see? Will it be something we've been hoping for or something we take one look at and want to return?

Revelation is a theme throughout scripture. In the Old Testament, God reveals Himself to Noah and gives him the instruction to build the ark that saves mankind and again through the covenant that he makes with Abraham and his descendants. He continues this revealing through the Messianic prophesies and in the ways He interacts with His people Israel. He reveals Himself to Moses through the burning bush and when He gives him the Ten Commandments and through the prophet Samuel who admonishes King David when he has sinned. He reveals Himself to King David when He gives him the instructions for building the temple and to David's son Solomon through a dream where He instructs Solomon to ask for whatever he wants.

In the New Testament, one of the first revelations we see is when the angel Gabriel reveals to Mary that she has found favour with God and will bear Jesus, the Son of God into the world. Angels reveal God because of their very nature of being messengers of God. They always speak with God's words and never their own, so everything they say is a revelation of God to those who receive their messages. Of course, the ultimate revelations of God in the New Testament center totally around Jesus Christ. Even the message of Gabriel to Mary about her role in salvation points us toward Jesus because in the end, it is all about His coming.

In this passage from St. Luke's Gospel, Jesus is speaking about His revelation of who He really is (His divine nature). He says that this nature has been hidden from the learned and wise and revealed to the childlike. This isn't to say that He may not be revealed to those who are educated but rather than having a childlike innocence makes it easier to receive this revelation of who Christ really is. Later in Luke 18 (verses 15-17), Jesus says that we must accept the kingdom of God like a child in order to enter it. It makes sense when you think about it. Children are so wide-eyed and innocent about the ways of the world, that they easily believe what seems to adults to be the impossible.

Think about what Advent is asking us to believe about how God revealed Himself to mankind. God, the Creator of the Universe, the Omnipotent, the Omnipresent, the Omniscient deigned to make Himself present to us and with us in a mortal human body. He lowered Himself to our level so that we might better understand Him and His great love for us. He revealed Himself in human flesh so that our broken humanity might be healed and reconciled to Him -- soul, mind, and body. That's pretty heady stuff and yet, a child finds it perfectly believable because of their innocence and softness of heart. Age and experience have a tendency to turn our hearts harder because of our brokenness and the brokenness of others and its effects on us and Jesus knew this. He knew that we would need a childlike innocence and faith to be able to fully understand the revelation of why He came to earth all those years ago as a wee babe in the manger.

Advent is a great time to try to cultivate a childlike faith. One of the things that I've found most helpful in this is through doing things for others during Advent. Giving money to charitable causes is a great way to start this, but even better is to engage in actively doing something that helps others. If your parish, church, or even local Walmart has an Angel Tree where you can pick out a child or adult and buy something for their Christmas, that's a great way to start. Other ideas might include volunteering at a homeless shelter or food pantry or other place that helps the less fortunate. Another thing is trying to view Christmas through the eyes of a child. If you have children, try to engage them in activities that help them understand the mystery of the Incarnation and also experience the joy of the season. If you don't have children, think about volunteering some time helping with children's activities at your church or parish or in your community this season. You could also give a parent you know the gift of a night off and watch their children for them for free.

What do you do to cultivate a childlike faith in your life?
Is there a particular thing you've learned about Christmas or the Incarnation from a child in your life?