My dear friends, today the liturgy paints a picture of a world transformed by the Messiah. Our reflection centers on three words starting wi...
My dear friends, today the liturgy paints a picture of a world transformed by the Messiah. Our reflection centers on three words starting with P: Promise, Peace, and Perspective.
The first word is Promise. In the First Reading, Isaiah gives us the image of a tiny shoot sprouting from the dead stump of Jesse. It looked like Israel’s hope was cut down, but God’s promise is unbreakable. Life comes from where we least expect it. Advent reminds us that even when things seem dead or hopeless in our lives—like a stump—God has a promise of new life waiting to sprout.
The second word is Peace. Isaiah describes a Kingdom where "the wolf shall be a guest of the lamb" and "the calf and the young lion shall browse together." This is not just the absence of war; it is the presence of harmony in nature itself. This peace comes from the "Spirit of the Lord" resting upon the Messiah. In our own families and communities, are we wolves devouring one another, or are we agents of this supernatural peace?
The third word is Perspective. In the Gospel, Jesus rejoices that God has hidden these mysteries from the "wise and the learned" and revealed them to the "childlike." To see the shoot sprouting from the stump, or to believe in peace amidst conflict, requires a change in perspective. We must stop over-analyzing God with our pride and start trusting Him like a child.
As we continue this Mass, let us ask for the grace to trust in God’s promise, to be instruments of His peace, and to view our lives with the humble perspective of a child of God.
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