Tattooed On My Brain

A Reflection on the Second Reading for December 8th, 2019:
Second Sunday of Advent

Romans 15.4-9

Brothers and sisters: Whatever was written in former days was written for our instruction, so that by steadfastness and by the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope.

May the God of steadfastness and encouragement grant you to live in harmony with one another, in accordance with Christ Jesus, so that together you may with one voice glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Welcome one another, therefore, just as Christ has welcomed you, for the glory of God. For I tell you that Christ has become a servant of the circumcised on behalf of the truth of God in order that he might confirm the promises given to the patriarchs, and in order that the Gentiles might glorify God for his mercy. As it is written, “Therefore I will confess you among the Gentiles, and sing praises to your name.”

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One of the funny – perhaps disappointing things – about growing up Catholic was the assumption that we as a Church aren’t Bible savvy. I’ve made a few jokes over the years. And let’s be fair, the evidence is out there that we don’t all have the same type of knowledge of Scriptures as our brothers and sisters in other denominations. My parish growing up didn’t have Vacation Bible School, let alone something like Children’s Liturgy of the Word where we would memorize verses. I have a co-worker who can give me a Scripture verse off the top of her head for every situation. I am not ashamed to admit that I am jealous of her knowledge. She is in the Word in a rich and moving way.


I can quote more than a few lines from the Simpsons, the Office, or Anchorman, without so much as a thought, but I have very few Scripture verses at my fingertips. Not that I haven’t read the Bible. We hear it in its entirety over 3 years (like our own special “read the bible in 1095 days” study plan) as a Church. And I read it personally every day. It was just never stressed that I should memorize individual verses and I feel sometimes like I’m decades behind. I started reading the Scriptures all by myself (without any invitation or encouragement) before I came to Christ. I read it like an epic – start to finish. It was like Lord of the Rings, but with fewer characters and no elves.

"There can be a temptation to dismiss the Old Testament as superceded by Christ, but as Paul says here it was written to instruct us to give us hope – the hope that is Jesus."

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I fell in love with the story of Abraham and the promise God made to him and Sarah. God was steadfast towards them, although He did challenge them to be steadfast too. God’s relationship with His chosen people was better than any love story I had read (and unlike Jane Eyre, God had no crazy attic wife). The sacrifice of Jesus made sense to me even as an unbeliever because of all the context of God’s love for the children of Abraham. There can be a temptation to dismiss the Old Testament as superceded by Christ, but as Paul says here it was written to instruct us to give us hope – the hope that is Jesus.


And these days could use some hope, couldn’t they? So while I prepare for Christ this Advent, I will do that by studying my favourite love story, that of God’s steadfast love for His children. I’m also going to work on memorizing a few of my favourite scripture verses so I can have them tattooed on my brain, just like God has tattooed them on my heart. ​​


Stephanie Potter

Photo by Jasmin Ne on Unsplash

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