Category: Uncategorized

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Isaiah 25: 6-10

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.

The Word of the Lord.

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Mountains are one of the most popular images used in the bible, appearing more than 500 times. The writers of both the New and Old Testaments were greatly familiar with them, as they dotted the terrain where the scriptures were written.

Mountains were seen as a meeting point between God, who dwells in the heavens, and his creation, dwelling here on earth. Thus, some of the most important passages in the bible occur on mountains. 

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In the Old Testament, Moses received the 10 Commandments on a mountain. Jerusalem, the holy city containing the Temple – God’s dwelling place on earth – is also built upon a mountain.

In the New Testament, Jesus is tempted by Satan on a mountain. He preaches his first public sermon, the Beatitudes, on a mountain. He is transfigured before Peter, James, and John, upon a mountain, and is later crucified upon the mount of Calvary.

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It’s fitting, then, as we begin our journey through Advent that the Church provides us with this vision from the prophet Isaiah in our first reading, who sees what happens at the end of time. 

God and his creation will commune together, sharing a heavenly meal on a mountain.

“On this mountain,” he says, “the LORD of hosts will provide for all peoples a feast of rich food and choice wines… He will destroy death forever… and will wipe away the tears from all faces. On that day it will be said: Let us rejoice and be glad that God has saved us!’”

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What a beautiful image of hope!

As we await that glorious day when we are one with God and one another, the Lord provides a feast of “rich food and choice wine” at Mass, his very own Body and Blood from the mount of this altar, to console and strengthen us on our pilgrim way.

May Jesus, who has loved us and given himself for us, guide us along the way of peace, as we journey together towards the eternal mountain of the Lord.

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Image credits: (1) Bible Art (2) Rare Historical Photos, Mountains of the Holy Land, 1915 (3) Isaiah 2:1-5, YouTube

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Isaiah: 11: 1-10

On that day,
A shoot shall sprout from the stump of Jesse,
and from his roots a bud shall blossom.
The Spirit of the LORD shall rest upon him:
a Spirit of wisdom and of understanding,
A Spirit of counsel and of strength,
a Spirit of knowledge and of fear of the LORD,
and his delight shall be the fear of the LORD.
Not by appearance shall he judge,
nor by hearsay shall he decide,
But he shall judge the poor with justice,
and decide aright for the land’s afflicted.
He shall strike the ruthless with the rod of his mouth,
and with the breath of his lips he shall slay the wicked.
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;
for the earth shall be filled with knowledge of the LORD,
as water covers the sea.

On that day,
The root of Jesse,
set up as a signal for the nations,
The Gentiles shall seek out,
for his dwelling shall be glorious.

The Word of the Lord.

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We are constantly reminded in scripture that God does the impossible.

When darkness seems overwhelming, suddenly a light appears.

When hope is nearly lost, a door is opened.

Or, using the imagery from our first reading, when a tree is cut down to its roots, a shoot sprouts up, a bud blossoms. 

Life continues.

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These words come from the prophet Isaiah while Israel is living in exile. Their land has been invaded, their homes destroyed, their king dethroned.

As the Psalmist cries out, “You have rejected and spurned your anointed. You have hurled down his throne to the ground. How long, O LORD?”  

Israel has been cut down like a tree to its stump. 

But the Lord promises them, “a shoot shall sprout from the stump of Jesse.” Life will continue. A king will come, ushering in divine justice and everlasting peace.

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We see this promise fulfilled in Jesus, the king and ruler of all. When God takes on flesh, he does the “impossible.”

When nailed to a tree and placed in a tomb, he does the impossible again, rising from the dead.

Time and time again, when God’s people are cut down to their roots, a shoot sprouts up, a bud blossoms. Life continues.

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What’s the “stump” in my own life? What part of me seems cut down?

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Advent is the time for us to renew our faith in the Lord, that whenever we feel reduced to our roots, a shoot shall sprout, a bud shall blossom.

New life is coming.

Come, Lord Jesus.

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Image credits: (1) Kelley Lorencin (2) iStock (3) Pinterest

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Isaiah 2: 1-5

This is what Isaiah, son of Amoz,
saw concerning Judah and Jerusalem.

In days to come,
The mountain of the LORD’s house
shall be established as the highest mountain
and raised above the hills.
All nations shall stream toward it;
many peoples shall come and say:
“Come, let us climb the LORD’s mountain,
to the house of the God of Jacob,
That he may instruct us in his ways,
and we may walk in his paths.”
For from Zion shall go forth instruction,
and the word of the LORD from Jerusalem.
He shall judge between the nations,
and impose terms on many peoples.
They shall beat their swords into plowshares
and their spears into pruning hooks;
One nation shall not raise the sword against another,
nor shall they train for war again.

O house of Jacob, come,
let us walk in the light of the LORD!

The Word of the Lord.

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Over the last century, more than 100 million people have died in war. 

Currently, there are more than 40 armed conflicts unfolding around our world as people fight over power, politics, theology, and access to scarce resources like land, water, and food.

Even in peaceful nations, smaller types of conflicts arise at work, in our communities, or in our families. Siblings argue over which toy belongs to whom, and later who gets the inheritance. Spouses spat over finances, time spent together, communication, and the kids. 

It seems that conflict – whether great or small – has been written into our DNA.

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Yet, the prophet Isaiah foretells in our first reading: “One nation shall not raise the sword against another, nor shall they train for war again…They shall beat their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks.”

That’s God’s promise to us: everlasting peace between God and his creation, even peace among the human race.

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Advent is an appointed time for us to consider what swords we need to beat into plowshares, or which spears into pruning hooks.

Maybe we’ve become short-tempered; we need the Lord to transform words wielded in anger into words of comfort.

Maybe we need to melt a grudge into an act of forgiveness. 

Or selfishness into selflessness.

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While there may be ongoing conflicts around the world for a time, God’s peace is coming and we all have a role in ushering it in.

As we often sing during this holy season, Let there be peace on earth and let it begin with me.

What might that mean for me today?

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Image credits: (1) Fine Art America, Ivanov (2) FPS Foreign Affairs (3) Cat J Pixels