Friends, we are living in an interim period between the first and second comings of Jesus, God’s only Son. Yesterday, on the First Sunday of Advent, we learned that Advent speaks of God’s promise of both comings and movement through the history of salvation to Jesus the Son of God.
The Messiah of the Jewish people was born to a couple of the tribe of Judah, in a in a manger in Bethlehem of Judah. His mission of bringing salvation to the world continued with the early Church and into our time.
Now as we celebrate His first coming, we are invited to walk in the light - in expectation of His second coming, when we will have eternal life with Him.
Isaiah, in the Scripture today, invites us to “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.” What a heartwarming, enlightening, and dynamic invitation to get us started with the Advent preparation for Christmas. And what a beautiful vision of the sacred city of Jerusalem he gives us to spark our interest in the city of God, a place of sacred destination.
The Psalmist in the responsorial reading invites us to “go rejoicing to the house of the Lord,” to give thanks to the name of the LORD, to pray for prosperity for those we love, and to pray for peace for our friends, our relatives, and ourselves.
A Roman centurion in the Gospel comes to Jesus and appeals to him on behalf of his servant who is paralyzed and suffering great distress.
Jesus responds immediately, “I will come and cure him.”
To which the centurion replied, Lord I am not worthy to have you enter under my roof; only say the word and my servant will be healed.” One would consider this impossible, but the centurion had faith beyond reason. He not only believed that Jesus could heal his servant, but that Jesus could do so from a distance.
Friends, are we ready to watch the road, acknowledge our unworthiness, and ask for healing so that we may climb the mountain of the Lord with Isaiah? Are we ready to go to the house of the Lord, rejoicing with the Psalmist during this season of Advent?
