Catholic Life Ministries

By Lori Fontana

Another grocery-store parable: it began at our local Safeway, in the University District, so you know it’s swarming with hungry young people. I try to shop before noon because the crowds swell in the afternoon and evening, and it becomes bumper-to-bumper grocery carts, baskets, and backpacks.

It was 11:30 a.m. – just under the wire for the calmer morning. Entering the store, I saw a middle-aged man carrying a large empty bag in one hand and grasping in his other hand the leash of a scraggly dog, bulky and muscular, and cranky-looking.

What is he doing in here? With that dog? And why the big bag? I was in a rush, so I moved to the veggies and fruits. As I glanced back, I saw the man placing apples into his open bag.

“I bet he won’t be paying for those,” I groused to myself, jumping to conclusions without knowing the whole picture. There I go – judging. Who am I anyway? The grocery bouncer?

“Let it go,” my wiser self reminded me. But it’s hard! Almost every time I shop, I see folks who take groceries without paying. I now tell myself that they must be very hungry, and what would any of us do if we were very hungry and without resources. Still, I have a self-righteous streak that complains: “There are other options.”

I crossed paths with the man and his dog in the cereal aisle, and again in the frozen food aisle. He still clutched the bag, which was now plump with items. I whispered, “God bless him,” (does it still count if done through  gritted teeth?), and continued my shopping.

Of course, I got my comeuppance! As I pushed my  loaded cart to the self-service check-out, I saw my fellow shopper unloading groceries from his bag for the clerk to ring up. The scary-looking dog sat peacefully at his feet, yawning. Surprise!

Oh, boy! Chastened, I remembered Jesus’s words in the Gospel of Matthew, right after he teaches his followers the “Our Father:”

Stop judging, that you may not be judged. For as you judge, so will you be judged, and the measure with which you measure will be measured out to you. Why do you notice the splinter in your   brother’s [or sister’s] eye, but do not perceive the wooden beam in your own eye?…You hypocrite, remove the wooden beam from your eye first; then you will see clearly to remove the splinter from your brother’s [or sister’s] eye. (Matt 7:1-3, 5)

Will I ever get the beam out of my own eye? Not likely…There will always be at least some sawdust clouding my vision.

Less judgment, more mercy – a foundational Gospel teaching. A parallel secular piece of wisdom is, “Don’t judge a book by its cover.” (In my case, don’t judge a shopper by his dog!)

This encounter has been on my mind as we enter the season of Advent. I’m reminded of one of the most misjudged events of all time: the birth of Jesus. The Jewish people waited centuries for the Messiah, and they wondered, who would this Messiah be? Isaiah describes how the Jewish people envisioned their long-awaited Messiah:

For a child is born to us, a son is given us; upon his shoulder dominion rests. They name him Wonder-Counselor, God-Hero, Father-Forever, Prince of Peace. His dominion is vast and forever peaceful, from David’s throne, and over his kingdom, which he confirms and sustains by judgment and justice, both now and forever. (Is 9:5-6)

They were expecting a great and mighty king! Their hope was for the King of Glory, who would throw off their oppressors, from the Egyptians to the Babylonians to the Romans. But that isn’t who they got.

Luke tells us, “For today in the city of David a savior has been born for you who is Messiah and Lord. And this will be a sign for you: you will find an infant wrapped in swaddling clothes and lying in a manger.” (Luke 2:11-12)

A little baby? Born in a stable; sleeping in a manger? What kind of a king was that? Other than the shepherds (in Luke’s Gospel) and the magi (in Matthew’s Gospel), few recognized the young Jesus as Isaiah’s Prince of Peace. In fact, his relatives and the townspeople of Nazareth scoffed at Jesus. In essence they asked, “This Jesus, son of a carpenter, just who did he think he was?!

Wonder-Counselor, God-Hero, Father-Forever, Prince of Peace – born in a lowly stable to a poor carpenter and his young wife? Quite a surprise!

This Advent, what surprises does God have in store for me? For you? It won’t be a new king, born a babe and lying in a manger, BUT…might it be a change of heart in a family member, a peaceful cooperation with a neighbor or co-worker, an encouraging conversation with a sales clerk or a stranger on the street, a humbling recognition of honesty in a man with a dog in the grocery store? Let’s not miss the loving and learning surprises God has waiting for us this holy season.

Open my eyes, Lord, my mind, and my heart, to your goodness alive in the world today!

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