Thus says the LORD: Observe what is right, do what is just; for my salvation is about to come, my justice, about to be revealed. Let not the foreigner say, when he would join himself to the LORD, “The LORD will surely exclude me from his people.” The foreigners who join themselves to the LORD, ministering to him, Loving the name of the LORD, and becoming his servants– Them I will bring to my holy mountain and make joyful in my house of prayer; For my house shall be called a house of prayer for all peoples. (Is 56:1-3a, 6-8)
https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/121622.cfm
A house of prayer for all peoples . . . what a vision for Advent . . . what a vision for the church, where everyone can come and be joyful. For the Lord does not exclude anyone from God’s people. Maybe good Pope Saint John XXIII had this passage in mind when he said, "I never met a person I couldn't pray with."
These reflections are a result of more than 40 years of ministry as a Roman Catholic priest. Most of these years I spent in the Diocese of Charlotte which covers Western North Carolina. Now I am retired, and live in Medellín, Colombia where I continue to serve as a priest in the Archdiocese of Medellín.
Friday, Week III, Advent
