I got a call from a local newspaper once. A brother priest, who is also a dear friend, had been named pastor of one of our diocesan parishes. The local neighborhood newspaper was doing a story on the new pastor, and so they called up some of the priests who knew him. I was asked some basic questions: how I knew him and so on, and then was asked why I thought Father would be a good pastor. And I said Father is a lot like the prophet Isaiah, and even Jesus himself, he believes in comforting the afflicted, and afflicting the comfortable.
Isaiah is read throughout Advent, and this is an important principle to keep in mind. Isaiah afflicts the comfortable—a lot. He seeks to awaken Israel out of her complacency, her faithlessness, her sin, her alliance with pagan nations and worshipping of their pagan gods and following their perverse and pagan ways. The first 39 chapters of the book of Isaiah are called the Book of Woes, in which Isaiah warns Israel, challenges Israel, about their falling away from God’s covenant. In the book of Woes, Isaiah foretells the devastation that will befall Israel, Jerusalem, and the Temple, if God’s people fail to repent repent. He afflicts the comfortable.
The last half of the book of Isaiah is called the Book of Consolation. In those last 25 chapters, Isaiah comforts the afflicted. He offers a message of consolation to those Jews who had been taken off into Babylonian Captivity. Yes, there was a nation-wide failure to repent, and destruction had come. But even then, Isaiah consoles, communicating that God had not turned his back on his people, even though they had turned their backs on Him.
In today’s passage, Isaiah has just delivered a word of warning to those he describes as spiritually drunk. Through unfaithfulness, God’s people had become so stupefied to God’s word, they were blind and deaf to God.
But immediately after his word of affliction to the comfortable, Isaiah offers a word of hope, speaking of the day of the coming of the Messiah. Isaiah says On that day the deaf shall hear; And out of gloom and darkness, the eyes of the blind shall see. The lowly will ever find joy in the LORD, and the poor rejoice in the Holy One of Israel.
Isaiah offers his prophetic message of comfort and affliction to a nation, but we can also consider his message to us. Every individual needs to be stirred up a bit, each of us has become complacent, a bit. And we also find ourselves afflicted with suffering that we did cause. And in our affliction, God is present to us, offering us hope and strength and the promise that those who follow the Messiah, who allow Jesus the Savior to heal their blindness, as he does in the Gospel today, will be ultimately delivered from earthly suffering His new heaven and new earth.
In our Advent pilgrimage, may we take the message of the prophets to heart, to till the soil of our hardened hearts and the salve of God’s healing and comfort to our wounded hearts, for the glory of God and salvation of souls.
As we await with longing the Advent of our Lord Jesus Christ, we raise up our prayers of petitions.
That Christ may visit his holy Church and always find her repentant of sin and watchful in prayer.
That Christ may fill the Pope, our Bishop, and all the clergy with spiritual gifts and graces.
That Christ may guide the minds of those who govern us to promote the common good according to His Holy Will.
That Christ may banish disease, drive out hunger, and ward off every affliction.
For all who have died, and for all the poor souls in purgatory, and for X. for whom this Mass is offered.
Almighty ever-living God, who bring salvation to all and desire that no one should perish, hear the prayers of your people and grant that the course of our world may be directed by your peaceful rule and your Church rejoice in tranquility and devotion. Through Christ our Lord.
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