Wednesday of the
First Week of Advent
(Isaiah 25:6-10a; Matthew 15:29-37)
Last week Pope Francis met with local leaders of the Buddhist,
Muslim, Hindu, Jewish and Christian faith traditions in Myanmar. Each leader had
an opportunity to express his hopes for the dialogue. Pope Francis said that the meeting demonstrated
unity in diversity and that the diverse traditions should learn from one
another. He added that all are brothers
with the same Father. The meeting
reflects the hope of today’s first reading and its fulfilment in the second.
The vision of the prophet Isaiah of a heavenly banquet features
the coming together of all peoples. It
remarks that the veils that prevent both individuals and nations from seeing
the goodness of others are now lifted. Everyone
can enjoy the richness of foods from other cultures. Jesus fulfills this vision. He heals different types of debilities. He feeds all present, who likely include
non-Jewish Greeks. The fact that there
are seven baskets of left-overs indicates that the food is plentiful and
everyone is content.
Advent reminds us that Jesus is close-by. He is bringing us together with other kinds
of people and will satisfy all our just desires. To have full advantage of Jesus’ offer we need
to recognize our need for him. Then we
must turn to others, whatever their faith or nation, as brothers and sisters.
