By Sr. Rosalie Pizzo, SND

Sr. Rosalie Pizzo

Author Joyce Rupp uses the door as a wonderful image of life's passages in her book, Open Door, A Journey to the True Self. In it she tells a story of a friend who was scheduled to visit women inmates in a local prison. In the prison parking lot the friend followed specific instructions required for entrance beyond the locked doors:

"I popped the trunk of my car and removed every piece of jewelry, including my watch. I removed my car key from a key ring bursting with keys, each one representing entry into the busyness of my life. From my wallet I retrieved my license. It was a strange exercise with a great deal of power...your education, your degrees no longer serve you. No one cares. Your level of income is irrelevant...nothing will get through the metal detectors but who you really are."

This story made me realize that it's the authenticity of our lives that enables us to pass through locked doors. Stripped of any pretense, our authentic selves can be that image of Jesus for those who are incarcerated, both literally and figuratively. For those who are sick, suffering, hungry, or jobless, we can be the image of Jesus, the promised One, not just coming as Advent foretells, but present among us.

 Jesus -- a door, a passage, a Promise waiting.