Advent Greetings from the Confidentia Shrine,
The Old Testament knows a linguistic stylistic device called the prophetic perfect tense. It announces an event of the future but uses the past tense as if the event had already occurred. The idea behind this is: God has decided that something is going to happen, and if he has it decided, then it will occur as surely as if it had already happened.
Against this backdrop, our Advent longing is not the anticipation of an event that is expected, but our longing is that of an unshakeable faithful conviction in God’s faithfulness and love. Therefore, the Old Testament readings encourage us to ask ourselves what the deserts in our lives are, where we feel paralyzed, blind, deaf, or dumb, and where we feel imprisoned or exiled. These situations exist in our own lives: when we cannot cope with our limitations, when we suffer from our relationships, when we feel constricted, when nothing seems to work out and we feel as if we do not live up to our expectations. These situations also exist in our Church and our society. In all these situations we are promised that God will come as a Savior who will bring us his salvation. This is not only a promise, but also an assurance.
As we begin the posadas today let us accompany Mary and Joseph on their way to Bethlehem let us remember: “all the disappointments connected with earthly things call out to us again and again: Rise higher! Sursum corda! God is the ultimate, God is eternal Love, the eternal, infinite Good, and Gift!” (J.K.)
United with you in our Schoenstatt Bethlehem,
Schoenstatt Sisters of Mary