The Perspective of Justice

God With Us

Sunday’s liturgy is about God with us, Emmanuel. We have arrived at the moment of the celebration of God’s presence within the human family.

The Emmanuel of Advent-Christmas, the God who is with us, witnesses our social life from within the community, so that God is not far away but is actually among us as we become part of each others lives (and sometimes step on them), as we work together (and sometimes against each other), as we try to support each other (and yet abandon millions of people to the miseries of destitution).

There is no childish game of hide and seek with this God, who is present to witness our good deeds and our misdeeds.

“Let the Lord enter (Ps 24:7c).” We rejoice at the prospect of having God among us, and yet we should also reflect on the awesome responsibility of living in the presence of God.

 “We who have been called to belong to Jesus Christ” (Rom 1:6) should imitate Mary, who, when faced with the reality of Emmanuel, “placed her life at the service of God’s plan” (Catholic Exchange).

Seeking after the glory of Christ, the Church becomes more like her exalted model, and continually progresses in faith, hope, and charity, searching out and doing the will of God in all things.

Hence the Church in her apostolic work also rightly looks to her who brought forth Christ, conceived by the Holy Spirit and born of the Virgin, so that through the Church Christ may be born and grow in the hearts of the faithful also.

Vatican II, Constituion on the Church, 1964:65

Gerald Darring

**From Saint Louis University