Love STILL takes the Risk
Written by Abby Braun on the Fourth Sunday of Advent
This is no time for a child to be born,
With the earth betrayed by war and hate
And a comet slashing the sky to warn
That time runs out and the sun burns late.
That was no time for a child to be born,
In a land in the crushing grip of Rome;
Honour and truth were trampled by scorn–
Yet here did the Saviour make his home.
When is the time for love to be born?
The inn is full on the planet earth,
And by a comet the sky is torn–
Yet Love still takes the risk of birth.
-The Risk of Birth, An Advent Poem
– Madeleine L’Engle (1973)
Darkness is the word that has resonated with me the most this Advent season. The world feels heavy these days, full of so much violence, hatred, and fear. We prepare our hearts for the coming of Christ on December 25, but we know that it won’t be a magic fix for the problems of the world. Christmas will come and go, and terrorism, poverty, racism and injustice of all kinds will still exist. The struggles in our own lives will not disappear.
Fr. John Ferrone said recently that he often feels like he is perpetually in the season of Advent, that it never really ends. Amen to that. This week we will celebrate the birth of Jesus, remembering that day two thousand years ago that our savior was born and also rejoicing that Christ continues to make a home within each one of us. And yet we will still find ourselves waiting for that second coming of Christ, for God to redeem all that is broken in our world and in our own hearts.
For some strange reason, I find relief in the knowledge that the world in which Mary conceived and gave birth was just as troubled as our world is today. God chose to be born into that messy world and ever since has chosen to be born into the mess and chaos of our current reality. Indeed, Love still takes the risk of birth. That Love may not have “fixed” all the problems just yet, but it makes a big difference if we allow it.
I read an interesting reflection by Krista Tippet yesterday and was especially struck by this line: “There is something audacious and mysterious and reality-affirming in the assertion that has stayed alive for two thousand years that God took on eyes and ears and hands and feet, hunger and tears and laughter and the full, joy and pain and gratitude and our terrible, redemptive human need for each other.” Yes, that is exactly it. Our redemptive human need for each other.
This is what today’s Gospel is about. Elizabeth and Mary needed one another to bring John and Jesus into the world. We need one another too. We need each other as we cooperate with God to continue to bring Christ into the world. This is also a risky venture, to rely on one another. But Love has paved the way for us. So let us remember, as we enter into this final week of Advent, that we were created to walk this road together. Let us take the risk to be companions on the journey.
Questions for Reflection:
Where are you most in need of help or companionship from someone else?
What is keeping you from taking the risk?
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Abby Braun
Abby has served as a campus minister at St. Mary’s since 2012. After studying theology at the University of Notre Dame (BA ’05) and Pastoral Ministry at the University of Dayton (MA ’08), Abby spent four years as a Campus Minister at Saint Louis University where she met her husband, Bob. She is especially grateful to be a part of a Jesuit Parish that serves a University community. Abby works part-time at St. Mary’s and spends the rest of her days at home/toddling around Ann Arbor with her daughter, Eleanor.
Email: aabraun@umich.edu
*Image credit: Visitation by Mary Southard, CSJ