Monday of the First Week of Advent
(Isaiah 4:2-6; Matthew 8:5-11)
It may sound like everything is rosy in Jerusalem when
Isaiah utters the prophecy of today’s first reading. But in truth the people there have committed
idolatry and greed. The good news is
sandwiched between two prophecies of woe.
It is a vision that gives hope to good people living in a depraved
society.
Just eleven verses before Isaiah proclaims Jerusalem the
eternal school of peace, Isaiah calls it an “adulteress.” In the verse after the prophecy he says that
the people of the land “are filled with fortunetellers and soothsayers like the
Philistines.” Somehow, despite corruption all around him, Isaiah believes that Israel,
God’s especially chosen people, will fulfill its destiny of modeling holiness
and justice.
Advent is preeminently the season of hope. We dare to hope publicly that Jesus will come
back soon. We need him desperately to end
war, to restore strong family life, and to resolve pressing issues like world-wide
migration.
