We feel new life growing within us and are considering future consequences of our sharing new life. Will the future treat new life with kindness? Is there evidence instead the future will treat new life with vindictiveness? The Old Testament includes an ethic of vindictiveness. Isaiah and the Psalmist both write of an image of God as a War Lord who will save us through violence, for “he comes with vindication.” Most people, including most women, have no interest in a War Lord who will save us through violence and no interest in his vindication. We do not want such a future as we prepare to author new life. The U.S.’ current vindictive War Lord says to news author Katie Rogers, you’re a “third rate reporter who is ugly, both inside and out;” to Catherine Lucey, “Quiet. Quiet, piggy;” to Mary Bruce, “You’re a terrible reporter… a terrible person;” to too many others vindictiveness is shown, recalling Megyn Kelly and Alicia Machado, Kaitlyn Collins currently, and women of color; Weijia Jiang, Abby Phillip, April Ryan, and Yamiche Alcindor. The women are creating communion together for a kind future. It is a future of men and women who will author courage in the face of a vindictive War Lord referring to knowledge as “Fake News,” calling women news authors “phonies,” “nasty,” and celebrating misogyny and pathological lying. We are not born to disseminate bad news, but rather to share “Good News.” Speaking these facts about vindictive War Lords, more than 2,000 years old in their dissemination, is not bad news. It is the truth. The truth is that all of the women news authors are sisters to Mary of Nazareth. She was a woman also interested in creating a future that was kind. Like them, Mary brought new life into the world to help create that kind future. It meant she too authored “Good News.” The “Good News” includes the truth that – through our communion “the blind regain their sight, the lame walk, lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, and the dead are raised.”
Prayer: Beautiful Spirit, we live courageously to replace revenge with kindness.
Question: What is the Good News I am called to share this Advent?
December 14, 2025 Gospel Matthew 11:2-11 Third Sunday of Advent