Friday of the Second Week of Advent
(Isaiah 48:17-19; Matthew 11:16-19)
A young man was having trouble choosing a priestly
vocation. He wavered between being a
diocesan priest and a religious. Finally,
he chose a religious order and was ordained.
Unfortunately, after a few years he left that calling. His changing loyalties is like the fickleness
that exasperates Jesus in today gospel.
The crowds following Jesus are unwilling to commit
themselves to the Lord. His approach has
emphasized God’s love and mercy. Earlier
they had rejected John’s sterner approach warning of God’s wrath for
sinners. One way or the other, people
must submit themselves to God if they are to experience His salvation. Isaiah gives this instruction in the first
reading. He says that if a people follow
God’s commandments, their prosperity would be like a river growing as it
reaches the sea.
We have chosen to follow the Lord’s ways. Still there is a possibility of our backsliding. Leaving our commitment unfulfilled would be
tragic for us as well as for those who look to us for example. So we pray everyday and in a special way
today, “Lead us not into temptation…”
