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.
Open up the gates
to let in a nation that is just,
one that keeps faith.
A nation of firm purpose you keep in peace;
in peace, for its trust in you.
. . . .
[But] the lofty city he brings down;
He tumbles it to the ground,
levels it with the dust.
It is trampled underfoot by the needy,
by the footsteps of the poor.
(Is 26:1-6)
Isaiah’s message is strong . . . we have a choice: to be a nation that is just and keeps faith or to be brought down and trampled underfoot by the needy and the poor. We may need to make some changes! Saint Francis Xavier is probably one of the greatest missionaries since Saint Paul. His mission field included India, Japan, and many parts of Southeast Asia. The photo today is of cars of jobless workers people lined up and waiting to get food at the San Antonio, Texas, food bank during the coronavirus crisis.
On this mountain the LORD of hosts
will provide for all peoples
, A feast of rich food and choice wines,
juicy, rich food and pure, choice wines.
On this mountain he will destroy
the veil that veils all peoples,
The web that is woven over all nations;
he will destroy death forever.
The Lord GOD will wipe away
the tears from all faces;
The reproach of his people he will remove
from the whole earth; for the LORD has spoken.
On that day it will be said:
“Behold our God, to whom we looked to save us!
This is the LORD for whom we looked;
let us rejoice and be glad that he has saved us!”
For the hand of the LORD will rest on this mountain.
(Is 25:6-10a)
The prophecies of Isaiah are the core of the season of Advent. After so many have died in this pandemic, to hear that God will come to save us and will wipe away our tears and will destroy death forever is a promise fulfilled in Jesus whose coming we await. The photo today is "Jesus multiplies the loaves and fishes" by artist Bénédite de la Roncière, based on a depiction of the Gospel scene created by a Christian community in Cameroon.
On that day,
A shoot shall sprout from the stump of Jesse,
and from his roots a bud shall blossom.
He shall judge the poor with justice,
and decide aright for the land’s afflicted.
Justice shall be the band around his waist,
and faithfulness a belt upon his hips.
Then the wolf shall be a guest of the lamb,
and the leopard shall lie down with the kid;
The calf and the young lion shall browse together,
with a little child to guide them.
The cow and the bear shall be neighbors,
together their young shall rest;
the lion shall eat hay like the ox.
The baby shall play by the cobra’s den,
and the child lay his hand on the adder’s lair.
There shall be no harm or ruin on all my holy mountain.
(Is 11:1-10)
Isaiah’s vision is expansive and holds out hope for our world. How important is the theme of justice for the poor and the afflicted. The Advent carol, Lo! How a Rose E’re Blooming come from this passage. Today is World AIDS Day. The picture is of a section of the The Names Quilt, remembering those who have died.
For everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.
But how can they call on him in whom they have not believed?
And how can they believe in him of whom they have not heard?
And how can they hear without someone to preach?
And how can people preach unless they are sent?
As it is written,
How beautiful are the feet of those who bring the good news!
(Rom 10:13-15)
Today is the Feast of Saint Andrew, the brother of Saint Peter. As Saint Paul asks in his Letter to the Romans, “How can people preach unless they are sent?” The word “apostle” means “one who is sent out.” Andrew, like his brother Peter, was sent out to proclaim the good news of God’s unconditional love. What beautiful feet!
Yet, O LORD, you are our father;
we are the clay and you the potter:
we are all the work of your hands.
(Is 64:7)
As we begin this holy season of joyful preparation for the coming (the advent) of the Lord in glory, the great prophet of Advent, Isaiah, reminds us whose we are . . . "we are the clay and you are the potter: we are all the work of your hands." The link below is for the 2020 Advent Calendar from the US Catholic Conference. The calendar provides some wonderful ideas for each day of the season.
