Living attuned to the depths of the longing in your being is a huge challenge. This Advent, in these crucifixion-tinged reflections, we’ve had the opportunity to consider the longing for love, for reconciliation; the longing to be free of shame and fear (including the shame and fear we feel about our longing to be known and loved); and the longing for things to be set right, for justice. We’ve acknowledged the reality that so many live in varying degrees of numbness to these longings. The potential for disappointment, rejection, and loss weigh too heavily at times.
This Advent has been about invitation: invitation to full participation in the Trinitarian life of mutual, self-emptying love – where one can be fearless, where nothing can diminish one’s Belovedness, where we are safe.
This Advent has reminded us that Incarnation is the culmination of longing.
And so the invitation has been to live more deeply into the Incarnation. To be incarnational people.
To risk relinquishing power and privilege to be in relationship with the other, to identify with the other, and in those places to find, at the very least, glimpses of what we long for.
What ideas or expectations of relationship might you need to relinquish to discover your longings met in unexpected ways?
Who are you longing for?