December 4, 2021
Saturday of the First Week of Advent
Today, in Mercy, Isaiah – in glorious prophecy – promises God’s People better times.
Thus says the Lord GOD,
Isaiah 30: 19-21
the Holy One of Israel:
O people of Zion, who dwell in Jerusalem,
no more will you weep;
GOD will be gracious to you when you cry out,
answering as soon as you are heard.
The Lord will give you the bread you need
and the water for which you thirst.
No longer will your Teacher be hidden,
but with your own eyes you shall see your Teacher,
While from behind, a voice shall sound in your ears:
“This is the way; walk in it,”
when you would turn to the right or to the left.
Oh my, don’t we all long for the fulfillment of that promise! So much in both our larger and smaller worlds longs for healing!
Perhaps we can use our prayer within these readings today to call on God for the promised healing.
It is a healing that requires our cooperation. Isaiah says that we must name our pain to God – for ourselves and for all who suffer in our world:
The Lord will be gracious to you when you cry out,
answering as soon as you are heard.
The prophet says that this crying out will change us. We will see the Lord with us in our suffering. God will lead us through that suffering by our acts of faith, hope, love, justice and mercy:
No longer will your Teacher be hidden,
but with your own eyes you shall see your Teacher,
While from behind, a voice shall sound in your ears:
“This is the way; walk in it,”
when you would turn to the right or to the left.
Our Gospel tells us that we are called to be Christ’s disciples, and that disciples are healers. By letting our lives become sources of healing in the world, Isaiah’s prophecy is fulfilled for our time.
Jesus sent out these twelve after instructing them thus,
Matthew 10:5-8
“Go to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.
As you go, make this proclamation: ‘The Kingdom of heaven is at hand.’
Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse lepers, drive out demons.
Without cost you have received; without cost you are to give.”
How we do these wondrous deeds in the world is an ongoing revelation. When I was very young, I took the proclamation quite literally. But I soon lost the expectation that I would ever help “cure” anyone of anything!
Life has blessed me with the realization that there is a difference between “curing” and “healing” – and that there are many degrees of healing.
- There are many ways in which living people are caught in deadly lives.
- There are all kinds of “lepers” in our society, rendered so by the prejudices of others.
- Certainly, many of us carry all sorts of crippling demons.
All these situations, and others like them, invite us to offer the gift of sacred healing implanted in us at our Baptism.
Acknowledging the pain in ourselves and others,
and trusting that God wants us to be healed and whole,
is the work of true discipleship.
Let’s draw strength from Isaiah’s promise in order to find a generous, merciful courage for our call to be “healed healers”.
Poetry: The Cure of Souls – Denise Levertov
The pastor
of grief and dreamsguides his flock towards
the next fieldwith all his care.
He has heardthe bell tolling
but the sheepare hungry and need
the grass, today andevery day. Beautiful
his patience, his longshadow, the rippling
sound of the flocks movingalong the valley.
Music: Your Healing Touch – Joe Bongiorno
Lavish Mercy 