Thursday of the Third Week of Advent
(Isaiah
54:1-10; Luke 7:24-30)
It took a Lincoln to
call a “day of national humiliation, fasting and
prayer.” Statespersons today will not recognize
a national sin nor see a purpose in asking God’s forgiveness. Yet liberals berate the country for racism
and conservatives for abortion. Perhaps
it is a waning belief in God that causes the reluctance to repent. Christians should not be so recalcitrant.
Today’s
first reading from Isaiah expresses God’s mercy to Israel. It has spent scores of years in exile where
it acknowledged its sins. God seems
anxious to take back the nation as His beloved.
In today’s gospel Jesus recognizes the Baptist’s role in calling for a
similar change of heart. He describes
John as “more than a prophet” because John announces the Messiah’s coming. Of course, Jesus fills this role by showing
God’s prodigious love for all.
In a sense
Advent is a time of repentance. We may
not delineate personal sins as in Lent although any time is right for this
practice. But it is the apt time to recognize
social sins like the vestiges of racism and licensing abortion. After a common penance, we will have more
reason to celebrate Christ’s coming.
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