GROW: Late 19th-century English author G.K. Chesterton famously wrote, “Catholic doctrine and discipline may be walls, but they are the walls of a playground.” We can think of God’s commandments serving as rules governing primary school recess: by providing us with a structure in which we can explore, play, stumble, and get up again, they allow us to discover who God created us to be without wandering far from his love.

GROW: Pop quiz: What was the name of the bride and groom at the wedding in today’s Gospel? If you’re unsure, you’re not alone; the bridegroom is mentioned only in passing and the names of the newlyweds are not recorded at all in Scripture. Instead, the most prominent man in the account is Jesus; the most prominent woman is his mother, the Blessed Virgin Mary. In light of today’s first reading, this apparent omission begins to make sense.

GROW: In many renditions of the Baptism of Jesus, artists connect the scene at the Jordan River with Jesus’ death. A withered tree, for example, reminds us of the cross, or a mountain points to Mount Calvary. These connections show a real relationship between Jesus’ baptism and his passion: his baptism marks the acceptance and beginning of his mission, which would ultimately lead to his crucifixion. For us, too, baptism is a decisive moment which destines us for – you guessed it – death! Not physical death (which will happen regardless), but a death to everything that is not of God.

GROW: Deeply fatigued from their perilous journey, the three wise men must have been filled with doubt and hope in equal measure, wondering if the star would truly lead them to the promised King. “Is this really worth it” they may have questioned. “Will we ever meet this child” And then, in a single gaze, Christ broke into the world of humanity. In this perfect encounter with the Son of God, the wise men “prostrated themselves” and “opened their treasures” before him – in all his glory and all his innocence.

GROW: Compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience. These are the attributes Paul instructs the Colossians in today’s reading to “put on” or to “clothe” themselves with. It’s quite a list, isn’t it? Paul goes on to talk about the virtues of the Christian family, which is fitting for today’s Feast of the Holy Family. It is reasonable to expect, then, that the Gospel passage would follow through by expounding on the virtues of the perfect family: Jesus, Mary, and Joseph.

GROW: Ask a child, “Where is God?” and you’ll likely receive a variety of responses: “in heaven,” “in church,” “everywhere” and “in my heart” are all conceivable answers from a child’s lips. But the one we most easily write off as silly or sentimental is one that the saints would urge us to revisit more seriously: God is indeed “in my heart” – that is, he is present in our souls! This is true not only when we receive him in Holy Communion, and not only because he is “everywhere,” but because we possess sanctifying grace.

GROW: “I want to be a sanctuary lamp,” Samantha, my childhood friend, once remarked. “To be the little flame that reminds everyone, ‘God is here.’” In those short phrases, Samantha summarized not only her personal vocation, but also the all-important mission of St. John the Baptist. Like the candle burning before the tabernacle, St. John was not the long-awaited Messiah; his God-given task was to point others to Jesus. We hear this theme of St. John’s message expressed repeatedly in today’s readings: “The King of Israel, the Lord, is in your midst”; “Great in your midst is the Holy One of Israel!”; “one mightier than I is coming.”

GROW: On this second Sunday of Advent, when the hustle and bustle of the season is already upon us, I find Paul’s words in his Letter to the Philippians very comforting. He says he is confident “that the one who began a good work in [us] will continue to complete it until the day of Christ Jesus.” Jesus will continue to be our Advocate and our Rock until the day he comes again.

GROW: Are you one of those people who flips to the end of the book to find out what happens or maybe you roam the internet for spoilers of your favorite show? We have all been tempted to know what is going to happen before whatever it is unfolds, especially in tension-filled situations. Knowing the ending changes the way we experience the angst of the present moment, especially if it’s a great ending! Like today: even as we anticipate and know the comfort and joy of the Advent season, we certainly do not begin there with our Gospel reading from Luke.

GROW: If we reflect on today’s Gospel, it might be hard for us to envision Jesus ever dressed like an actual king! When Pontius Pilate asked him if he was a king, Jesus responded, “If my kingdom did belong to this world, my attendants would be fighting to keep me from being handed over.” Imagine: Jesus had spent the night in agony; his friends had all abandoned him; and, in a few verses, Pilate will deliver him to be scourged.

GROW: My brother-in-law inherited his father’s company. Although he studied business in college, he knew years before receiving his degree that, provided he was faithful to his studies, he would have a comfortable job waiting for him after graduation. We may not all inherit the same economic opportunities as my brother-in-law, but, as Christians, we are heirs of infinitely greater spiritual ones.

GROW: “Give it your all! Leave it all on the field! Trust in your training/preparation/coaches.” We’ve all heard a version of this type of exhortation. It requires a great amount of confidence and trust – faith, if you will – to let go of our doubt and fears. The two widows of today’s readings had such confidence, as they offer us heroic examples of faith. The widow of Zarephath uses her only remaining food to cook for Elijah. She did this after receiving God’s promise that, “The jar of flour shall not go empty, nor the jug of oil run dry.”

GROW: It is not surprising that we hear both Moses and Jesus speak the same words in today’s Scripture. After all, Truth and Good News bear repeating! The Lord our God is Lord alone! “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength.” In these words, Moses is instructing the people to fear the Lord and keep all his commandments and in turn God would give them “a land flowing with milk and honey” (Canaan).