Isaiah 45:6-8, 18, 21-26 / Luke 7:19-23
Isaiah prophesies: Turn to me and be saved.
In Springfield, Illinois, February 11, 1861, dawned cold and rainy. But the weather didn’t keep the crowds from lining the streets of that town. They cheered as President-elect Lincoln passed on his way to the railroad station.
At the station, Lincoln mounted the steps of the train’s observation platform. Then he turned and addressed the crowd: “I now leave you. . . .Without the assistance [that comes from God] I cannot succeed. To his care commending you, as I hope in my prayers you will commend me, I bid you an affectionate farewell.” The kind of trust Lincoln had in God’s help demonstrates the kind of trust God invites all of us to have in his providence, especially on the threshold of his Son’s coming.****
What keeps us from a greater trust in God?
Those who abandon themselves to God will never be abandoned by him.
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People and events are agents of salvation: heaven and
earth cooperate, but ultimately it is God who saves through people. In the
first reading, through the prophet, God addresses Cyrus the Great, who let the
Jews return from exile. He was an instrument of God to bring liberation to the
Jews. Also, pagans are called to salvation.
When he is asked by the disciples of John whether he
was the expected Messiah or whether they had to wait for someone else, Jesus
reminds them of what the prophets had foretold about the Messiah and to look at
what Jesus was doing. He restored the sight of the blind, made the deaf hear,
cured lepers and proclaimed the good news of the kingdom to those poor in any
way. Was that not a sufficient answer?
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The season of Advent has a dual spiritual purpose. It
is a time of preparation for the celebration of the Lord's birth. And it is
also a time of waiting for that joyful day to come. This preparation and
waiting also focuses on the second coming of Christ when all would be made new
and our hope would be fulfilled with rejoicing. Yet in this season of Advent,
the commercialization of the festive season with its busyness of material
preparation often takes the focus away from the spiritual dimension. So the
question that the disciples of John the Baptist asked Jesus is also a good
question for our reflection for the season.
Is Jesus the one whom we are preparing and waiting
for, or are we waiting for someone or something else? The first line of the 1st
reading gives us a strong reminder - Apart from Me, all is nothing. Yes, apart
from Jesus, this season with all its festivities and merry-making would be
empty and mean nothing. May we not lose focus nor the faith in Jesus in this
season of preparation and waiting.
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Opening Prayer
Lord our God, in your concern for
people you want all to be saved. We pray you today that we may be ready to
receive you,
your justice and your peace, and that in your hands we may be eager instruments to share your integrity and love with all willing to listen. We ask you this through Christ our Lord.
