Tuesday, December 3, 2024

Memorial of Saint Francis Xavier, priest

(Isaiah 11:1-10; Luke 10:21-24)

Isaiah’s incomparable vision of universal reconciliation is matched today with the gospel showing Jesus, Son of God Almighty, inviting the humble of the world to rest in him.  As lambs are said to lie with wolves, so the weakest can, since Jesus, rest with the Lord of hosts.

With desire to impart Isaiah’s vision and its fulfilment in Jesus, Francis Xavier left home and friends for the Orient.  He tirelessly preached the gospel of salvation to reconcile East and West for the glory of God.

We may not feel called to join missionaries in far-away places.  Nevertheless, as Jesus’ followers, we are summoned to reconcile different kinds of people.  Be they members of different races or people of different temperaments, Christians in Jesus’ name should promote understanding to secure peace among all.

Tuesday, December 5, 2023

Tuesday of the First Week of Advent

(Isaiah 11:1-10; Luke 10:21-24)

Biblical scholas say that Isaiah probably had another referent in mind than Jesus of Nazareth for today’s prophecy.  They claim that he was probably thinking of the son of the then current King Ajaz and his wife.  Perhaps it is so.  However, what Isaiah proposes as a result of the future king’s birth is nothing less than outrageously miraculous.  Christians rightly see the prophecy as referring to the Son of God, Jesus Christ.

The gospel shows Jesus’ unique relationship with God.  He is the beloved Son who never challenges the Father’s will.  He bears the Holy Spirit deep in his person so that he can minister to every person’s needs.  He is the long-desired of the nations whom Isaiah glimpsed six hundred years earlier.

In a way Jesus is still on the horizon coming to cure our world’s troubles.  Especially now at the beginning of Advent we want to prepare ourselves to receive him.  With the first Christians we add our voices, “Marana tha”.  “Lord Jesus, come!”

Tuesday, December 1, 2020

Tuesday of the First Week of Advent

(Isaiah 11:1-10; Luke 10:21-24)

St. Martin de Porres is said to have reconciled a dog, a cat, and a rat to eat together.  It is a charming story that demonstrates the point of today’s Scripture readings.  Natural enemies will live in peace with the coming of the Lord.  Martin himself brought rich and poor; black, white and indigenous; religious and lay people together.  Like St. Francis of Assisi, he may be seen as “another Christ.”

Today’s first reading changes the expectation for the Messiah.  He is not to a warrior but a wise man.  He comes not to destroy foes with his power but to reconcile them with wisdom.  His attraction will not be limited to sons and daughters of Israel but will be felt throughout the earth.  The gospel hints at the fulfillment of Isaiah’s vision in Jesus.  He wields no sword and overpowers no outlaw.  Nevertheless, he shows himself as the Messiah, the Son of God.  He heals and forgives.  He enlightens the dull-minded and confers salvation on those who trust in him.

We may find the feats of Jesus as hard to believe as Martin’s reconciling his convent’s animals.  They probably were embellished in the formation of the gospels.  But we must not deny them.  They are testimony that Jesus was radically different from other humans.  He was God’s Son.  By following him, we too can move beyond the hostilities of the world.  Following him, we will have the peace of eternal life.   

Tuesday, December 5, 2017

Tuesday of the First Week in Advent

(Isaiah 11:1-10; Luke 10:21-24)

A woman once described how she could no longer watch nature films on television.  Viewing the drama of a killer whale chasing a smaller whale and her calf left her permanently disgusted.  She said that the film crew followed the predator stalking mother and calf for hundreds of miles.  Then it recorded the killer whale separating the two before making its kill.  The visual experience was so jarring that the woman now dreads the sight of animals preying on one another.

We may think that original sin has caused alienation between humans and God and among other humans, but the transgression has even wider effect.  The sin of Adam and Eve is said to have imperiled relationships among animals as well and, really, among all beings of creation.  For this reason Paul writes the church in Rome, “...creation waits with eager expectation the revelation of the children of God” (Rom 8:19). 

In the first reading the prophet Isaiah strikingly illustrates how the alienation is about to end.  A ruler shall come from the line of King David who will restore original justice.  He will cast out evil and lift up the oppressed.  His actions will teach everyone fear of the Lord, the lack of which characterizes the present state of universal victimization.  Proof of the new reign of justice will be found when the most vicious of animals fraternize with the most defenseless.  We see this prophecy’s fulfillment in Jesus Christ.  As today's gospel indicates, he brings knowledge of God the Father to all who care to listen.  He humbles the arrogant and lifts up the lowly.  With his expected return in glory soon, peace will reign everywhere.

Tuesday, November 29, 2016

Tuesday of the First Week of Advent

(Isaiah 11:1-10; Luke 10:21-24)

A woman writes of her faith as the glue that holds her life together.  She says that when her seven-year-old was hit by a car, she stormed heaven that his life might be spared. Her son’s life was spared, and she remains imminently grateful.  Jesus almost sings with similar gratitude in the gospel today.

                                      

The setting is Jesus’ welcoming back the seventy-two disciples he sent on a missionary expedition.  He is delighted that they witnessed wonders like demons being repulsed in his name. He breaks into praise of God who provided such powerful testimony that they, like the woman who stormed heaven, may trust completely.

During Advent we raise our expectations to see the wonders of God.  We must look beyond the goodwill of Christmas which is short-lived and really meager.  We dare to find in the vision of the first reading from Isaiah our hope.  We believe that the time is coming when enemies will live in peace together.  The adversaries we have in mind are not bears and cows but Palestinians and Jews, Muslims and Christians.  We redouble our efforts and prayers in this special season for a world of lasting peace. 

Tuesday, December 1, 2015

Tuesday of the First Week of Advent

(Isaiah 11:1-10; Luke 10:21-24)

Count on the holy seasons of Advent and Lent to get to the heart of Divine Revelation.  For the most part during the rest of the year the Scripture readings at daily mass follow episodic sequences.  The gospels recount the story of Jesus in first in Mark, then in Matthew, and finally in Luke.  John is reserved for Eastertime.  Meanwhile the first reading is taken from an Old Testament or New Testament work, read in daily installments which summarize the work as a whole.  In Lent and Easter, however, the link between the first reading and the gospel is manifest.

Today’s gospel, for example, hints at how Jesus fulfills the heart-felt prophecies of early Isaiah.  The people of the prophet’s time longed for a strong leader who would rule justly.  They wanted to see the poor prosper without be pampered.  They hoped that the natural enmities among classes, nationalities, and races would cease.  Jesus recognizes in himself such potential being realized.  He will bestow manifold blessings upon those who obey his commands. The poor especially are positioned to follow him.

We hear while shopping in Wal-Mart how this is “the most wonderful time of the year.”  It is but not because of mistletoe or tree lights.  It becomes wonderful when we contemplate how the yearnings of the human heart are fulfilled in Jesus.

Tuesday, November 29, 2011

Tuesday of the First Week of Advent

(Isaiah 11:1-10; Luke 10:21-24)

A woman writes of her faith as the glue that holds her life together. She says that when her seven-year-old was hit by a car, she stormed heaven that his life might be spared. God favorably responded, and she remains imminently grateful. Jesus almost sings with similar gratitude in the gospel today.

Seventy-two of his disciples have just returned from a missionary expedition. They witnessed wonders like demons being repulsed in Jesus’ name. Now he praises God for providing such powerful testimony of goodness that they, like the woman who stormed heaven, may trust in Him completely.

During Advent we raise our expectations to see God work wonders. There is the almost universal goodwill of Christmas to look forward, but as short-lived and compromised as the season is, we will likely become disillusioned if we place much hope in it. No, now is the time to think really big as Isaiah envisions in the first reading. We redouble our efforts and prayers for the development of all peoples, for an end to the arms race, and for human rights in the Middle East.

Tuesday, December 1, 2009

Tuesday of the First Week in Advent

(Isaiah 11:1-10; Luke 10:21-24)

A friend says that she can no longer watch nature films on television. Viewing the story of a killer whale chasing a smaller whale and her calf for hundreds of miles before it separated the two and made its kill was so jarring an experience that now she dreads the sight of animals preying on one another.

We may think that original sin has caused alienation between humans and God and among other humans, but the transgression has even wider effect. The sin of Adam and Eve is said to have imperiled relationships among animals as well, indeed, throughout the whole of creation. For this reason Paul will tell the church in Roman, “...creation waits with eager expectation the revelation of the children of God” (Rom 8:19).

In the first reading the prophet Isaiah strikingly illustrates how the alienation is about to end. A ruler shall come from the line of King David who will restore original justice. He will cast out evil and lift up the oppressed. His actions will teach everyone knowledge of the Lord, the lack of which characterizes the present state of universal victimization. Proof of the new reign of justice will be found in the most vicious and the most defenseless of animals coexisting in peace. We see this prophecy’s fulfillment in Jesus Christ. As the gospel indicates, he brings knowledge of God the Father to all who care to listen. He humbles the arrogant and lifts up the lowly. When he returns in glory, peace will reign everywhere.