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4th
Sunday of Advent, Cycle C
Saint
Margaret Parish, Bel Air (4:00 and 6:00pm)
December 20,
2015
A Soldier and
a Woman
By (Rev.
Msgr.) Nicholas P. Amato
Seat in
an Airplane
Last year the Boston Globe Magazine carried a
memorable story. It takes place in the Denver airport.
A 46-year-old woman is sitting near the gate
where she is waiting to board her plane.
She is reading and glances up and sees a young
man in front of her. There are a number
of empty seats in the waiting area, but he nods his head at the seat next to
her.
Her suitcase is blocking it. She is mildly
annoyed, but she moves the suitcase.
The young man sits down and drops his duffel
bag at his feet. He is wearing a U.S.
Army camouflage uniform.
He asks her, “Where you headed?” She
responds, “Home.”
He then tells her that he has just returned
from Afghanistan and is heading to Florida to surprise his mother. He hasn’t seen her for five years.
The woman notices that when he looks at her,
his eyes have a sense of longing in them. He wants something from her, but at
first, she doesn’t know what.
She also notices that from time-to-time he is
scanning the terminal warily. He says
that it’s hard to stop scanning for danger from snipers or road bombs.
Only yesterday he was in the desert and
several of his comrades had been killed…
And today, here he is in an airport where the
biggest issues are waiting for a latte in the Starbuck’s line or being upset
over a flight delay. He admitted that,
frankly, doesn’t know how to be here in this place. It’s such a contrast.
The woman now senses what he may want from
her. So she opens her heart a bit and
begins to tell him that just last week, her best friend’s teenage son had died
suddenly.
She continues to share that she is a mother
and is feeling so disoriented and distant from the everyday world. They have made a connection. The soldier breathes deeply and finally seems
to relax.
The woman writes: “This soldier had seen the raw and the unbearable.
“He knew
that it was not the flight delay, or a line at Starbucks that was his concern,
but he didn’t know how to tell me.
“This
was what he needed from me – what we all need.
He did not want the seat beside mine.
“No, he
wanted to sit with me. He wanted to feel
safe and to be understood for just awhile.”
Mary and
Elizabeth
That soldier and woman and their being together
and the visit of Mary and Elizabeth in today’s Gospel have an important lesson
for us.
Mary travels to visit Elizabeth. She knows that she needs time with this older
woman – for Elizabeth’s sake, and for her own sake as well.
Elizabeth is surprised by Mary’ unexpected
visit. But she welcomes it, opens her
heart to it, and gives of herself.
The soldier seeks out this woman at the
airport. He knows that he needs someone
at that moment and senses that he will feel safe with her.
The woman is a bit annoyed at first, but she
gives him her attention; she’s there for him in a remarkable, life-giving way.
Remember What Is Important
The
lesson is pertinent at this Advent time of the year.
The
lesson is to be aware of the persons in our lives. To take the initiative to be with them and to
share with them what is really going on in our own lives.
We’re
encouraged to be open to the family member or friend or just someone we know
who sends us a text or email. Be alert
and give that person some attention and time. Do what it takes to connect.
These
final days of preparation may be a time to reset our priorities and make heart-to-heart
interactions with persons first.
Conclusion
Such connections
with one another are Godly moments. Mary
and Elizabeth sit with each other and end up seeing the hand of God at work.
The soldier
and the woman sit with each other and a God-filled experience occurs for both
of them.
The
question for this Sunday before Christmas may well be: “With whom do I need to sit while we wait?” or, “Who needs to sit with me?”
