One central prayer exercise
found in St. Ignatius’ Spiritual Exercises,
is the “Contemplation on the Incarnation.”
There we are invited to imagine God
hearing the cry of humanity.
And of course He couldn’t resist.
Of course He looked down.
Looking down upon the earth,
the Trinity sees people
in every sort of situation and condition:
“…some [are] healthy, others sick,
some weeping, and others laughing.”
Moved with compassion for humanity,
the Trinity then says:
“Let us work for the redemption
of the human race” (SE 107).
Thus the decision for the Incarnation
is made–
for God to become human
through the Divine Son.
You see, Advent was the product
of Divine Compassion.
In Luke 17:32, our Lord Jesus tells his listeners:
“Remember Lot’s wife.”
Jesus’ intention was to warn his audience
about difficult times ahead–
particularly, when He returns.
As we prepare for Christmas this Advent,
it may also serve us well
to take our Lord’s words seriously:
to remember this unnamed woman
who may have perished because of her compassion.
For the compassion that might have
made her look back
must find its source in the Divine Compassion
that made the Trinity look down upon the world.