The Third Sunday of Advent – Joy

~ Sometime in the middle of 2020, my mind got very curious with the idea of genealogies like the kind we find in Scripture – long lists of men who begat other men to show how our faith tradition is passed on from one generation to the next. I started to wonder what it would look like to build a list of my female ancestors. That sounded like a lot of historical research, which, frankly, is just not my interest. But what if, I wondered, my genealogy were instead a list of women whose names I already knew, whose love and gifts were in my heart and memories. Women who had come into my life and walked alongside me at different ages and stages, shaping me and forming me into the person I am becoming? Who would be on that list? My mom, sisters, grandmothers, aunts, former babysitters, teachers, coaches, teammates, roommates, neighbors… the list got really long, very quickly. There was power in seeing their names, their actual names (not just the roles they filled in my life), written down and read over. It filled my heart over and over and over.

In Advent, I turned that curiosity and attention to the women whose stories are told to us in our faith. I started with a list of nine women whose lives and faith stories would have shaped Mary, and through her, Christ himself, and spent time exploring their stories and reflecting on the lessons they have for my life. These women receive special treatment in Scripture, pointing to their importance, though it’s certainly not a complete list. Were we to extend the list past the birth of Christ, exploring the stories of women he encountered, or who made their mark in the early Church, or our faith in the years since… well, it would be a long, long list.

I offer my reflections for you to read yourself through these final days of Advent (see the PDF attached below). These nine stories can make for a novena of sorts if you choose to read one story each day. How have these women formed you? Who else would you add? I’d love to hear your reflections whenever I see you next.

Happy Gaudete Sunday, St. Margaret’s. May your week be full of God’s winks of joy to you.

Throughout the year, we present an article in the bulletin each week on a variety of topics, written by a member of our Parish staff or ministries on a rotating basis.