Throughout the Scriptures, God is constantly choosing unexpected people to guide and lead and shepherd and deliver his people. God chose Moses despite the fact that Moses was reluctant and also a murderer. God chose Gideon, a fear-driven wimp, to lead his army. God chose Rahab, a prostitute, to bring about a victory. God chose David, a little shepherd boy, to slay the mighty Goliath.
Our first reading today is part of a prophecy in which Isaiah is explaining how God is going to use Cyrus, a pagan king, to deliver Israel from its Babylonian captivity. Cyrus is certainly an unlikely character to be chosen as God’s anointed—after all, he wasn’t even Jewish.
And in the reading today Isaiah is kind of explaining why exactly God often uses these unlikely, strange, weak people to do his will. Namely, because “I am the LORD, there is no other”. To show his might, God chooses the weak and the unexpected. He doesn’t even need to choose a member of the chosen people to do his will. He’s God, and can choose anyone as his instrument.
Hence in the Gospel, even John the Baptist, just wants to make sure that Jesus truly is the One. After all, John knows, that Jesus comes from a pretty unassuming background. He probably knows that he was born in a stable, and raised in the tiny village of Nazareth, by a humble carpenter. He’s so unlikely. And we encounter many people in the Gospels who do not believe that Jesus is the Messiah precisely because he is so unlikely.
And so when approached by John’s disciples, the Lord says, do you want to know who I am? Look at my works-- the blind regain their sight, the lame walk, lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised…the prophecies of old are being fulfilled in your midst, God is at work, the signs speak for themselves.
Up until now, a lot of our Advent readings have been about the need to prepare our souls for the Lord’s coming through prayer and penance and good works. But, we’ve arrive at that point in Advent where our readings are starting to focus on the identity of the Christ. Jesus of Nazareth is fully God and fully Man. He is the Messiah. And we are presented with a choice, the world is presented with a choice: will you believe in Him or not. Will you believe that God could become Man, born in a stable, to a virgin, in the piercing cold at midnight, or not?
And making that choice, we come to discover that God also continues to choose the unlikely, strange, weak people of the earth to do his will….us. He wishes to use us, to make his glory known, to make the name of Jesus resound throughout the earth. May we be faithful to this calling, trusting that God knows what he is doing, in calling us to do his will, for the glory of God and salvation of souls.
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That the Holy Father, all bishops and priests, religious and laity may shine with the Light of Christ’s love for the lost and despairing.
That world leaders may look upon the Son of God, believe in him, and seek the peace and justice that only he can bring.
For those who have fallen away from the Church, who have become separated from God through error and sin, for those who reject the teachings of Christ, for their conversion and the conversion of all hearts.
That our young people will turn away from the evils of our culture to spread the good news of Christ’s eternal kingdom.
For those experiencing any kind of hardship or sorrow, isolation, addiction, or illness: may they experience the healing graces of Christ.
For all who have died, and for all the poor souls in purgatory, and for X. for whom this Mass is offered.
O God, you know that our life in this present age is subject to suffering and need, hear the prayers of those who cry to you and receive the prayers of those who believe in you. Through Christ our Lord.
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