1st Week of Advent 2023 - Tuesday - The Peace we long for

 During the season of Advent we recall the promises of God—promises God has communicated to humanity through his prophets—promises to fulfill our deepest needs and longings—the promise of peace, salvation, and eternal life. Particularly, we read extensively through the eloquent writings of the prophet Isaiah. 

In today’s passage from Isaiah, we hear promises of peace that will be established through the anointed one—the savior. 

And this peace is profound and supernatural—something only God could accomplish: Then the wolf shall be a guest of the lamb, and the leopard shall lie down with the baby goat; The baby shall play by the cobra's den, and the child lay his hand on the adder's lair. 

Again, this is a peace only God can accomplish. No amount of animal training or human ingenuity can make it completely safe for a baby to play in a cobra’s den. A wolf, if he gets hungry enough, will eventually devour the lamb. 

However, God promises that his anointed one—his Christ—will establish something new—not only protection for the weak, vulnerable, and innocent lambs, baby goats, and human infants from the fierce, deadly powers, but a newfound peace. 

What a promise! The world is filled—our lives are filled with so much strife, jealousy, violence, fear, destruction, family and national division—strife crushes us. There is so much suffering we don’t even think about it, we can’t—the innocent children who suffer in our own neighborhood, let alone around the world—it is so immense, that we feel helpless to do anything about it. 

Advent focuses our attention on the one who can. The one who is able to accomplish the things that are impossible for man—the things that are hidden even from the wise and the learned. The one who can bring peace because He is both God and man. 

And God’s promises are made known to us, that we may believe in them, and pursue them, to align ourselves with them, and the one who alone can fulfill them. 

The secular humanists and materialists will insist that man can obtain peace for himself—just the right set of political and socio-economic policies, the right scientific breakthrough and new technology and we can create utopia for ourselves. But human attempts will always fail to achieve what we most deeply long for—God Himself. And that’s the promise of Advent: God comes to us, so prepare your hearts to receive Him, for the glory of God and the salvation of souls.

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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.