After Anne and I played outside, we were promptly instructed by her mom to wash our hands before dinner. I very proudly said that my hands were clean. She asked to inspect them. I showed her both hands; they looked very clean to me. Anne’s mom thought otherwise, and shook her head declaring nicely, but firmly: “Invisible germs.” I was horrified. What are germs? I was instructed to go back to the sink and keep scrubbing. How I scrubbed, as I kept looking at the sink to see if the invisible would mysteriously become visible. All during dinner, I kept looking at my hands to see if I could see those mysterious germs. When I arrived home later, I immediately told my parents that I had something called germs. Their take on the whole scene was that I did not mind my manners and should have washed my hands whether my hands looked clean or not.
I’ve been thinking of that image of my little pre-school self, and I realize all the pre-meal instructions I was given throughout my childhood: “Mind your manners;” “say ‘please’ and ‘thank you,’” and “wash your hands.” As the years went on, there more instructions, such as “help to set the table,” and “finish your homework.”
This Advent, I’m wondering: How do I prepare for meeting Jesus at His table? Have I minded my manners? Have I arrived on time? Have I heard and followed our Lord’s instructions? Have I approached the Lord with respect and love? Have I come to the table truly grateful, with a tremendous “thank you” on my heart? Have I truly been attentive to those pesky germs—yes, those invisible spiritual germs that get in the way of my meeting with the Lord?
