3rd Week of Advent, Friday, Dec 16th
Isaiah 56:1-3, 6-8 / John 5:33-36
God speaks through Isaiah; "My house is a house of prayer."
A woman wrote in a national magazine: "One morning
while my husband was taking pictures outside, I sat quietly in an empty
Catholic church. ... Its narrow windows let in the merest slits of light, just
enough that I could see the wooden crucifix on the altar. "Suddenly an
overwhelming peace took hold of me, and a joy so intense it brought tears to my
eyes." May Kinsolving, The Liguorian
All of us have had similar experiences of God's presence in
God's house. It continues to be a privileged place of prayer on our earth.
***
Recall a time when we experienced God's presence while praying in his house. "Prayer
enlarges the heart until it is capable of containing God's gift of
himself." Mother Teresa
***
All Are Called to the Light
The reading from the third part of the book of Isaiah has
for its keynote a confused universalism; on the one hand, it describes the
conditions under which non-Jews will be admitted to worship in the temple and
to enter the covenant; on the other hand, it says that all peoples are called
to worship God.
In the Gospel, John the Baptist is described as the lamp
testifying to Christ. But he himself is not the light. Christ is the Son of God
and the light itself: what he does bears witness that he is not only the
Messiah but also the Son of the heavenly Father.
***
God of Bridges, Not Walls
“God bless America” is a bumper sticker you often bump into
on the US roads. Whenever I saw one, I used to wonder: “What about other
nations?” My concerns were put to rest one day when I saw a car with a bumper
sticker: “God bless America. And every other nation. No exceptions!” That was a
pretty good gospel, I thought – a message that captured the heart of God in
today’s first reading. Yahweh declares that no foreigner will feel excluded in
his Kingdom, and his house will be a house of prayer for all nations,
none exempted or forgotten. Jesus underscores the same when he says that he has
other sheep that do not belong to his current fold and he will gather them so
that there will be one flock under one shepherd (cf. Jn 10:16). A key message
that shall not be forgotten in these times when we are more eager to build
walls rather than bridges between peoples.
***
By this time, we would be hearing Christmas carols or songs
about the Christmas festive season over the air-waves. Over the radio and in
shopping malls, we would hear the traditional carols like "O Holy
Night" and "Little Town of Bethlehem" to the more secular ones
like "Jingle Bell Rock". The more traditional ones would certainly
bring up some memories of how we spent Christmas and the experiences that we
had, and these are once again lighted up and we would look forward to
Christmas.
In the gospel, Jesus described John the Baptist as a lamp
alight and shining, and for a time the people were contented to enjoy the light
that he gave. Because the voice of prophecy had been silent for about 400 years
until John the Baptist came into the scene. The people remembered the promises
of old through the voice of John the Baptist. The hope of the people was
kindled. The fire of faith began to burn again.
But John the Baptist was not just talking about the past. He
was pointing to the future in which the promises of God would be fulfilled in
Jesus Christ the Saviour. Similar the voice of God in the Scriptures that we
hear during Advent does not just talk about the past promises of God but about
about the promise already fulfilled We now look at Christmas and the future not
just with memories of what had been but what is to come. May we look with eyes
of faith and hope because the promises of God has already been fulfilled.
***
Prayer
Lord, our God, through your Son, Jesus Christ, you call all people to know you and to offer you their worship. Grant your Church, the community of your people, to be open to all nations and cultures, that all may give you glory in every language on earth and that every culture may express that no people is alien to you in Christ Jesus, our Lord. Amen
