My dear brothers and sisters, on this Wednesday of the first week of Advent, we are immediately drawn to God’s goodness and generosity through the first reading and the gospel that we will be blessed to hear today at mass.
In the first reading from the prophet Isaiah, we hear of a mountain upon which God will fulfill his promise to save his people. If I were to ask you, what mountain do you think that would be? On what mountain did God himself save us? If we’ve paid attention during religion class and at church, through the many sermons we’ve heard, we’d most likely be able to identify that blessed mountain as Calvary, and pinpoint the exact location on that mountain, Golgotha, where Jesus, who is God from God, actually died to save us from our sins. The key phrase there, however, is “God from God”.
To be able to say as the prophet does, that there will come a particular day in which the Lord of hosts will remove from the whole earth “the reproach of his people” is an obvious allusion to what Jesus himself accomplished through his passion and death, as the Son of God, equal to and one with the Father, for all human beings, for all time. Through his own death, “he will destroy death forever.” Interestingly however, the prophet begins by likening the redemption and eternal life Jesus wrought for us as a lavishing upon us of all goodness. He describes it as an unfathomable feast… a sumptuous, delicious and great outpouring of goodness … in his own words; “A feast of rich food and choice wines, juicy, rich food and pure, choice wines.” Even more incredible is the fact that what he has accomplished will go on forever, and for this we are grateful and we give him praise, as inadequate as it may be.
The long awaited kept his word, visited his people and saved them. The prophet foresees it: “On that day it will be said: ‘Behold our God, to whom we looked to save us! This is the LORD for whom we looked; let us rejoice and be glad that he has saved us!’” And why would they be waiting for him and expecting his arrival? Because it had been spoken of by all the prophets long before it happened, and that is something that only God can do.
In the gospel, as if to preview the mountain spoken of above by Isaiah, where God’s people would be healed by Jesus from sin and death, we have another mountain. We are told that, “Jesus walked by the Sea of Galilee, went up on the mountain, and sat down there.” What happens next? Does Jesus just sit there? No, this same theme of God’s abundant goodness and provision is given to us through the healing of many who are brought to him, and then the feeding of the entire crowd by multiplying seven fish and a few pieces of bread into thousands. The number seven in scripture represents God’s perfection, and in this case, his flawless and limitless love for us.
So, like in the first reading, we have a mountain, a feast, and a healing which is all a great precursor to the greatest mountain upon which Jesus would work his greatest miracle of all – Calvary, where through his death, he would give us a chance to escape the great and terrible second death… of the soul in hell. The second death? We die once, and then we are judged to be worthy of either everlasting life, or everlasting damnation (which is equivalent to everlasting death in biblical prophecy and terminology).
This advent my brothers and sisters, as we continue to deepen our love for the Lord, let us keep in mind each day, that he has done something great and wonderful for all of us. He has given us the gift which is beyond any other gift – the gift of himself, and what have we done with it? He gave himself to us in his passion and death, and he gives himself to us in his resurrected omni-presence and availability (think about it… anytime you call upon him, he is there) and he gives himself to us in the Eucharist, where his heart beats so passionately for us.
“How I have longed to have this supper with you!” is what he would say to the apostles, and what he says to each one of us. During this mass, let us remember, that the Lord is not only here, but he desires to remain with us, in us (when we receive him at holy Communion), around us (for he is then in our brothers and sisters), by our side (for he accompanies us each step of the way), leading (so as to guide us), or trailing (so as protect us)—he is always here.
May our most precious Mother continue to have mercy on
us her children, and lift us up to the Lord who has prepared a banquet of eternal goodness for those who but reciprocate his love in gratitude. May she teach us what true and authentic gratitude, for all that God has and is doing, looks like.
Mary, Queen of Heaven, pray for us who have recourse to thee. Amen.
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