The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today challenge us to contemplate the gifts and promise of the Holy Spirit for fullness of life and our commitment to act in response.
The reading from the Prophet Isaiah is Judah’s Song of Victory.
* [26:1–19] This text is a mixture of praise for the salvation that will take place, a confession of Judah’s inability to achieve deliverance on its own, and earnest prayer that God may quickly bring about the longed-for salvation. (Isaiah, CHAPTER 26, n.d.)
Psalm 118 is a Song of Victory.
* [Psalm 118] A thanksgiving liturgy accompanying a procession of the king and the people into the Temple precincts. After an invocation in the form of a litany (Ps 118:1–4), the psalmist (very likely speaking in the name of the community) describes how the people confidently implored God’s help (Ps 118:5–9) when hostile peoples threatened its life (Ps 118:10–14); vividly God’s rescue is recounted (Ps 118:15–18). Then follows a possible dialogue at the Temple gates between the priests and the psalmist as the latter enters to offer the thanksgiving sacrifice (Ps 118:19–25). Finally, the priests impart their blessing (Ps 118:26–27), and the psalmist sings in gratitude (Ps 118:28–29). (Psalms, PSALM 118, n.d.)
In the Gospel of Matthew, Jesus exhorts us to live our faith.
* [7:24–27] The conclusion of the discourse (cf. Lk 6:47–49). Here the relation is not between saying and doing as in Mt 7:15–23 but between hearing and doing, and the words of Jesus are applied to every Christian (everyone who listens). (Matthew, CHAPTER 7, n.d.)
Suzanne Braddock comments that our commission to do the Father’s will seems difficult – how do we know what that is and how do we go about finding out?
For me, I like to boil things down to their least complex form, the simplest. In this matter of doing the Father’s will I turn in trust to Jesus, the very enfleshment of the Father’s will. His word builds the firm foundation of our lives.
Hopefully our actions flow from a frequent reading and pondering of his word, such that even without thinking, we express his love and mercy in all we do and say. I’m still working on it. Compassion is never wrong, even for ourselves.
And now, for me, the really good news in these readings: As we do the will of the Father we are already in heaven. In my thinking, heaven can begin here and now, as we manifest the goodness of the Lord. (Braddock, 2022)
Don Schwager quotes “Turn your vision to the Savior,” by Verecundus (died 552 AD).
"When Hezekiah, the king of Judah and son of Ahaz, was gravely ill and had learned of his coming death by the prophecy of Isaiah, he turned his face to the wall and wept bitterly (2 Kings 20:1-3). Immediately the Lord in his mercy not only averted the destruction of imminent death but also added fifteen years to the man's life. Then, at last, Hezekiah sang this song (Isaiah 38:10-20). Hezekiah, a holy man who reigned at that time over all of Israel, displayed the Lord's form: clearly he had every movement of body, soul and mind in subjection to himself, and he accepted the consequences of his infirmity and weakness. He knew without doubt through the prophetic message that the end of his life was approaching. For the longer we seem to live, the more indubitably is our future death foreknown to us. And if we turn our face to the wall when struck by the fear of death, that is, if we direct the vision of our hearts to the Savior, who is here represented by the wall because he is elsewhere called 'a wall,' we will be saved, inasmuch as he saves the faithful who dwell within him from a great many attacks. 'In the city of our strength,' says Isaiah, 'is the Savior established as a wall and a fortress' (Isaiah 26:1). Behold, the Savior is said to be a wall." (excerpt from COMMENTARY ON THE CANTICLE OF EZEKIEL 5.1-2) (Schwager, n.d.)
The Word Among Us Meditation on Matthew 7:21, 24-27 comments that you would think that building our house on the solid rock of Jesus’ word would be easy. But we know that’s not always true. Temptation is never far away, and we sometimes give in. When this happens, our spiritual house can become weakened or fall into disrepair. If it happens too often, we risk seeing our house collapse altogether.
What a good thing, then, that Jesus has also given us the Sacrament of Reconciliation, which can help repair our spiritual foundation. Confession can be a wonderfully freeing experience! As you lay your sins at the foot of the cross, you can find yourself refreshed and renewed. As you listen to the words of forgiveness and consolation from the priest, you can find the strength and encouragement to get back to building your life on the most reliable and trustworthy foundation ever: Jesus himself. So try to get to Confession before Christmas, and see what God does in your heart as a result.
“Jesus, give me the courage to make a good confession this Advent.” (Meditation on Matthew 7:21, 24-27, n.d.)
Friar Jude Winkler compares the hymn of trust and humbling of the mighty and lifting of the downtrodden to the Magnificat hymn of Mary. Proclaiming “Lord, Lord” is superficial. We have to live it. Friar Jude suggests that in the times when our faith is shaken, our expression of desire to trust by wishing to have faith may be enough for God when it is the best we can do.
Fr. Richard Rohr, OFM, introduces Historian and writer Diana Butler Bass who reflects on a church on Tangier Island in the Chesapeake Bay, and the implications of its future in this time of climate crisis. Theologian Sallie McFague (1933–2019) was inspired by Isaiah’s prophetic vision of new heavens and earth—and what it requires of us.
To me, the question about the future of Christianity has become: “What must Christians do to serve all creation when the island itself is in danger of sinking?” [1]
Isaiah’s hymn to a new creation and Jesus’ parables of the reign of God touch this deepest desire in each of us for a different, better world. It would be a world in which human dignity and the integrity of creation are central, a world in which the intrinsic value of all human beings and of the creation itself is recognized and appreciated. . . . Do we have any hope for a different, better world? Given the situation we face at the beginning of the twenty-first century of war, violence, AIDS, capitalist greed, and now the specter of global warming, it seems absurd to even bother with such a question. And yet we read in the Isaiah passage [65:17–25] that in the midst of painting this wonderful picture of life beyond our wildest dreams, God says, “Before they call I will answer, while they are yet speaking I will hear.” “While they are yet speaking”—we have only to ask for God to answer! But we must ask with our whole being; a better world must become our deepest desire. And this means, of course, we must work at it; we must give our whole selves to it. [2] (Rohr, 2022)
The love and compassion that Jesus leads us to live is to be extended by our action to all people and the Creation around us.
References
Braddock, S. (2022, December 1). Creighton U. Daily Reflection. Online Ministries. Retrieved December 1, 2022, from https://onlineministries.creighton.edu/CollaborativeMinistry/120122.html
Isaiah, CHAPTER 26. (n.d.). USCCB. Retrieved December 1, 2022, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/isaiah/26?1
Matthew, CHAPTER 7. (n.d.). USCCB. Retrieved December 1, 2022, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/matthew/7?21
Meditation on Matthew 7:21, 24-27. (n.d.). The Word Among Us: Homepage. Retrieved December 1, 2022, from https://wau.org/meditations/2022/12/01/546647/
Psalms, PSALM 118. (n.d.). USCCB. Retrieved December 1, 2022, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/psalms/118?1
Rohr, R. (2022, December 1). A Healthy Church Needs a Healthy Planet — Center for Action and Contemplation. Center for Action and Contemplation. Retrieved December 1, 2022, from https://cac.org/daily-meditations/a-healthy-church-needs-a-healthy-planet-2022-12-01/
Schwager, D. (n.d.). Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations. Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations – Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations. Retrieved December 1, 2022, from https://www.dailyscripture.net/daily-meditation/?ds_year=2022&date=dec1
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