Ask Why

A Reflection on the Gospel for Sunday, December 22nd, 2024:
The Fourth Sunday of Advent

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Luke
1.39-45

​Mary set out and went with haste to a Judean town in the hill country, where she entered the house of Zechariah and greeted Elizabeth.

When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the child leaped in her womb. And Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit and exclaimed with a loud cry, “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb. And why has this happened to me, that the mother of my Lord comes to me? For as soon as I heard the sound of your greeting, the child in my womb leaped for joy. And blessed is she who believed that there would be a fulfillment of what was spoken to her by the Lord.”

Pause. Pray. Reflect.

Why has this happened to me? This is a question that I have asked when things in my life have gone wrong: stuck in traffic when I’m late, torrential rain on a long-awaited camping trip, an untimely illness, an accident, an injury, a mistreatment, a loss of some kind. I search for reasons for the unfair, the unjust and the unexplainable. I want to know why bad things have happened, perhaps so that I can put the puzzle of my life together. 

As I reflected on this reading and Saint Elizabeth’s reaction to this remarkable event in her life, I realized that to wonder at the good things is a beautiful posture. It’s a perspective of gratitude, of worship, of awe and of humility. It occurs to me that this has not been my go-to approach to life!

That being said, many important questions follow the question “why?” Is there a God who loves me? Why does God allow bad things? Where was He? At worst, the question “why” rustles up self-pity, despair or anger. At best, it results in forgiveness, understanding and peace. Regardless, the turmoil created by asking “why” is both painful and necessary in order to arrive at a better place. 

Saint Elizabeth’s question has been a spiritual gift to me in this season of Advent. If I sit and ask, “Why has this happened, that my Lord should come to me,” the answer is quite simple – because He loves me, whether I believe it or not. I know that I am not worthy that He should enter under my roof, but I also know that accepting His gift of love changes everything. To be open to receiving this gift with humility leads to so much beauty – a posture of reverence, joy and wonder. What more could any of us ask for this Christmas?



Lindsay Elford

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