As we
journey a bit deeper into this Advent journey, we realize that we are on a
journey of hope. A journey that challenges us to live differently, a journey
that calls our preparations and anticipation to transform us, set us free, lead
us to peace-filled hearts and lives of peace.
One of
my most favorite pieces of scripture is from Isaiah 11.1-10, it is called The Peaceful Kingdom. I see it as a
challenge for us on how to live, on how to work towards right relationships, on
how to seek forgiveness, how to let go of hurts, and how to prepare not only
for the gift of Christmas but also for the gift of what heaven will be.
I have
included the full passage here, I was going to highlight the lines that stand
out for me, but that would seem to be more of the verse than not. There is so
much in these beautiful ten verses of scripture.
The Peaceful Kingdom
A
shoot shall come out from the stock of Jesse,
and a branch shall grow out of his roots.
The spirit of the Lord shall rest on him,
the spirit of wisdom and understanding,
the spirit of counsel and might,
the spirit of knowledge and the fear of the Lord.
His delight shall be in the fear of the Lord.
and a branch shall grow out of his roots.
The spirit of the Lord shall rest on him,
the spirit of wisdom and understanding,
the spirit of counsel and might,
the spirit of knowledge and the fear of the Lord.
His delight shall be in the fear of the Lord.
He shall not judge by what his eyes see,
or decide by what his ears hear;
but with righteousness he shall judge the poor,
and decide with equity for the meek of the earth;
he shall strike the earth with the rod of his mouth,
and with the breath of his lips he shall kill the wicked.
Righteousness shall be the belt around his waist,
and faithfulness the belt around his loins.
The wolf shall live with the lamb,
the leopard shall lie down with the kid,
the calf and the lion and the fatling together,
and a little child shall lead them.
The cow and the bear shall graze,
their young shall lie down together;
and the lion shall eat straw like the ox.
The nursing child shall play over the hole of the asp,
and the weaned child shall put its hand on the adder’s den.
They will not hurt or destroy
on all my holy mountain;
for the earth will be full of the knowledge of the Lord
as the waters cover the sea.
On that day the root of Jesse
shall stand as a signal to the peoples; the nations shall inquire of him, and
his dwelling shall be glorious.
Reading this piece of scripture has lead me to offer
these reflections…
The first part reminds us that we are equipped with
tools to build this kingdom. Wisdom, understanding, counsel, might, knowledge
and awe of God. All free gifts of the Holy Spirit. All tools that we are
equipped with, tools that begin in Advent hope and lead us into a full year of
mercy. Tools that we need to claim and use, for just knowing about them is not
enough.
The second part reminds us of how our actions should
be. They are to be based on the Lord. Not to judge a book by its cover, not to
base our decisions on gossip or hearsay, but to be filled with honesty,
justice, concern and faithfulness.
The third part is so beautiful, the images of
creation living in harmony instead of living off each other, and the image of
the child leading them. There are so many pictures of Jesus as a child with all
these animals around him, and I love many of them, but is more than that for us
this Advent and always. These verses remind us of right relationship. How do we
live with our families, friends, neighbors, and strangers? How do we build up
communities, parishes, neighbourhoods? How do we forgive, let go, be people of
hope? Is it only when it works for us? Is it only when our resume will be beefed
up? Is it only when our world around us in crisis?
We are all part of the peaceful kingdom, yet we seem
to forget that. We seem to read this passage and say ‘isn’t that nice’ and move
on. Advent calls us to bring this passage to life, here and now in the small
gestures and every day ways of life. Big grandiose projects are noteworthy and
can help build the bridge, but that has to begin in our hearts and in our
lives.
It says right in the passage, “they will not hurt or
destroy”. Yet we continue to hurt each other over power, over greed, over
forgetting that we are created in God’s image, no matter who we are and how we
worship God. These past few weeks our attention has been heightened by the sad
stories of innocent lives be taken, of racial tensions, of greed ruling, of our
hurting earth suffering, and of unemployment. Instead of dwelling on these
tragedies, how can we offer hope? How can be agents of peace? How can we build
the peaceful kingdom? It begins with me, it begins with you, and it begins with
willing to be transformed this day, this Advent and in the Year of Mercy.
The
Peaceful Kingdom
Honesty, compassion and justice shall be the robe
wrapped around them,
the Christian shall live with the Muslim.
the Jew shall live with the Arab.
the Catholic and the Protestant together,
and a little child shall lead them.
The Black shall live with the White,
the First Nations shall live with the Caucasian,
the Refugee with the Resident,
and a little child will lead them.
The Disabled shall live as the Non-disabled,
the Sick shall live as the Healthy,
the Lonely shall be as the Included,
and a little child will lead them.
The Man and the Woman together as equals,
the Children together with their dreams,
the Earth healed and all filled with hope,
for a little child shall lead them.
Advent = hope = peaceful potential!
Advent = Emmanuel = God With Us!
Let us not forget that our Emmanuel is with us in
all of this, and desires for us to be filled with God’s graces, love and mercy.
This Year of Mercy (December 8 – November 20) is a
personal invite to each of us, to be a part of the peaceful kingdom. Can we
each do our part?
“In mercy, we find proof how God loves. He gives his
entire self, always, freely, asking noting n return. He comes to our aid
whenever we call upon him.” (MV 14)
“Everyone, in fact, without exception, is called to
embrace the call to mercy.” (MV 18)
“May no one be indifferent to the call to experience
mercy. This is the opportune moment to change our lives! This is the time to
allow our hearts to be touched!” (MV 19)
- Pope Francis
Blessings on this 2nd Week of Advent.
Blessings of Peace, Mercy and Hope.
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