Growing up a cradle Catholic and attending Catholic school my whole life up until being an undergraduate at Yale, I have never really questioned the intersection of my own actions and God’s influence in my life. Where is the line between what I choose to do with my life and what God has chosen for me? How can free will truly exist if God knows everything? How can we accredit “meeting people” and “being blessed with opportunities” to God if these situations are brought about by our own life decisions and the decisions of others? These are questions that have plagued me since I left the comfort of life back home and was exposed to the “real world”.
Today’s first reading paints a vivid picture of God's promise of guidance and sustenance. The phrase "This is the way; walk in it" speaks directly to my questions of free will and divine influence, suggesting that God provides direction, but we must choose to walk the path. This aligns with the Catholic understanding of free will coexisting with God's omniscience. The Lord offers guidance, but ultimately respects our freedom to make choices.
The Gospel reading further illuminates this theme. Jesus, moved with pity for the troubled and abandoned crowds, calls upon his disciples to become laborers in the harvest. This demonstrates how God works through human instruments to fulfill His divine plan. My experiences at Yale and in the "real world" can be seen as opportunities to discern my role in this greater purpose.
"On the day the LORD binds up the wounds of his people, he will heal the bruises left by his blows," suggests that even our struggles and challenges can be part of God's plan for our growth and healing. The Advent season reminds us that God entered into human history through Christ, showing that the divine and human realms are not separate, but intimately connected. This Advent season, we are called to allow our questioning and seeking to understand to be forms of spiritual growth, aligning with the spirit of Advent as a time of preparation and anticipation.
