Fr Kevin Kilgore

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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.”

And 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.

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

It could be the “stump” of a broken heart, a failed relationship, weakened faith, grief, doubt, a door closed.

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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.

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Image credits: (1) A Jesse-Tree painting, Girolongo Genga, Fine Art America (2) ocochome.info (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. This includes the 1,300 Israelis and 16,000 Palestinians who’ve died in their ongoing war.

Meanwhile, more than 30 other armed conflicts are unfolding across the world as people fight over power, politics, theology, and access to scarce resources like land, water, and food.

Smaller conflicts also arise in our own 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 conflict – whether great or small – is written into our post-Eden DNA, ever since the split between Adam and Eve.

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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.”

Swords into plowshares. Spears into pruning hooks.

That’s God’s promise to us: cosmic peace.

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Advent is an appointed time for us to help make that dream a reality by considering where we need to beat our own swords into plowshares.

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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Advent is a season of grace, a time to beat swords into plowshares.

May it begin with us.

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Image credits: (1) Swords into Plowshares, Reluctant Xtian (2) Swords into Plowshares, Sergey Ivanov, Fine Art America (3) PodPoint

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Gospel: Mark 13:33-37

Jesus said to his disciples:
“Be watchful! Be alert!
You do not know when the time will come.
It is like a man traveling abroad.
He leaves home and places his servants in charge,
each with his own work,
and orders the gatekeeper to be on the watch.
Watch, therefore;
you do not know when the lord of the house is coming,
whether in the evening, or at midnight,
or at cockcrow, or in the morning.
May he not come suddenly and find you sleeping.
What I say to you, I say to all: ‘Watch!’”

The Gospel of the Lord.

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So, when will the world end?

It’s a question human beings have asked seemingly from the beginning of time. Even the disciples ask the Lord this question, prompting his response in today’s Gospel.

“There will be signs in the sun, the moon, and the stars,” Jesus tells them. “Nation will rise against nation. There will be earthquakes and famine. But it will not yet be the end… What I say to you, I say to all: Watch!”

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Human beings have watched ever since, often wondering if the end is near. 

For example, you may remember the drama of Y2K then in 2012 the Mayan calendar. Twice since the turn of the century, people stuffed their cellars and braced for impact.

Of course, nothing happened. But within the last century, there have been real catastrophes, leaving people wondering if it’s the end of the world as we know it.

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Think of what happened during World War Two. 

Hitler was systematically wiping out an entire people, while taking over large swaths of Europe, drawing nation after nation into conflict. Those camps, trenches, and bloody beaches must’ve looked like the apocalypse.

We know now it wasn’t.

But something happened in World War Two that can teach us a lesson about the end of the world…and our role in it.

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On June 6, 1944, Allied troops landed in Normandy, where they began their slow, heroic march towards Paris.

Weeks later, as American boots marched through the Arc de Triomphe, many felt that the war was coming to an end. It would take nearly another year to reach Hitler. But our generals knew we could win if they persevered.

And persevere they did.

On September 2, 1945, World War Two was officially over. 

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As Christians, we should see ourselves like the Allied troops marching through the Arc de Triomphe. We know this existential battle between good and evil can be won.

In a sense, it has been won. 

When Jesus conquered death on Easter Sunday, he dealt the devil a decisive blow. 

But there is still work to be done. God’s peace isn’t reigning from sea to shining sea just yet. Like the Apostles, we must continue our march. We must, “Be watchful and alert.” 

This is what Advent is all about – not just celebrating the Lord’s birth at Christmas, but also awaiting his return, acknowledging that we all have a role to play in expanding the kingdom of God during this time in between his birth and his return.

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For the Apostles, being “alert” meant taking on the yoke of responsibility for the early Church. 

At Pentecost, the Lord sent them out to preach to all nations, which wasn’t an easy task; ten of the twelve Apostles were martyred! They experienced in a very real way the battle between good and evil; between belief and unbelief; between life and death, which unfolds in every age.

So, what about us? What mission have we been given? And how are we to prepare for Christ’s return?

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First, do whatever we must to live in a state of peace, which is rooted in having a right relationship with God and with our neighbor.

Secondly, stay focused. Do the ordinary tasks we’ve been given to do with a pure and generous heart.

“Whatever you do,” Saint Paul says, “do for the glory of God… that you may be saved.”

I try to live Paul’s words by looking at a crucifix at the end of each day. If I can say that I’m tired because I was attentive to the responsibilities the Lord has given me, then I know I’m being, “watchful, alert.”

You can say the same about being a spouse, a parent, a colleague, a student, a believer in any context. Whatever we do, do for the glory of God.

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As we begin this first Sunday of Advent, may we continue our march for peace together, staying watchful and alert, awaiting the Lord’s return.

Come, Lord Jesus.

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Image credits: (1) Be Watchful Until He Comes, True Jesus Church, YouTube (2) One Walk With Jesus (3) Liberation of Paris, Wikipedia