Tuesday of the First Week of Advent (December 5, 2023)
Turning to the disciples in private he said,
"Blessed are the eyes that see what you see.
For I say to you,
many prophets and kings desired to see what you see,
but did not see it,
and to hear what you hear, but did not hear it."
-Luke 21:23-24
In my reflection for Monday of the First Week of Advent, we explored the meaning of Jesus’ miracle of healing of the centurion’s servant. This restoration of unity among peoples and nations marks the fulfillment of God’s vision of unity and peace among all peoples and how this was made real in the life and mission of Jesus. On this Tuesday of the First Week of Advent, we are given another insight into the saving work of Jesus and the continued unfolding of God’s work of salvation within the world as we await Christ’s coming in the fullness of time.
Today, we hear Isaiah’s beautiful prophecy that, on the day of the Lord, a shoot will sprout from the stump of Jesse—Life itself will arise where there seemed to be only death. And that the Spirit of the Lord will rest on this Promised One:
The Spirit of the LORD shall rest upon him:
a Spirit of wisdom and of understanding,
A Spirit of counsel and of strength,
a Spirit of knowledge and of fear of the LORD,
and his delight shall be the fear of the LORD…But he shall judge the poor with justice,
and decide aright for the land's afflicted. (Isaiah 11:2, 3b)
This coming will be marked by peace, but not simply peace among nations and peoples. Rather, the peace and unity that this Promised One brings with him is a gift for all of creation. Wolves and lambs, leopards and kid-goats, lions and calves, bears and cows, and children with venomous snakes will all live in harmony and there will be “no harm or ruin” on God’s holy mountain (see Isaiah 11:9).
From Psalm 72, the Responsorial Psalm for Tuesday of the First Week of Advent
But, as Jesus points out in the Gospel proclaimed today, the signs of this renewed and peaceable kingdom are as small, simple, and even vulnerable as a tender, green shoot. In order for us to recognize the coming of the One who will Isaiah’s vision a reality, we have to become like small children.
Reflecting on this, Father Henri Nouwen wrote in his book Gracias!:
Our salvation comes from something small, tender, and vulnerable, something hardly noticeable. God, who is the Creator of the Universe, comes to us in smallness, weakness, and hiddenness.
I find this a hopeful message. Somehow, I keep expecting loud and impressive events to convince me and others of God’s saving power; but over and over again, I am reminded that spectacles, power plays, and big events arethe ways of the world. Our temptation is to be distracted by them and made blind to the “shoot that shall sprout from the stump.”
When I have no eyes for the small signs of God’s presence—the smile of a baby, the carefree play of children, the words of encouragement and gestures of love offered by friends—I will always remain tempted to despair.
The small child of Bethlehem, the unknown young man of Nazareth, the rejected preacher, the naked man on the cross, he asks for my full attention. The work of salvation takes place in the midst of a world that continues to shout, scream, and overwhelm us with its claims and promises. But the promise hidden in the shoot that sprouts from the stump, a shoot that hardly anyone notices.
The One for who's coming we continue to watch and wait for is the One who will bring about the full restoration and unity of creation. In the darkness of Advent, ask for the grace to see—to watch—with the eyes of a child and to be attentive to God’s smallness… and to God’s surprises.
Look with favor, Lord God, on our petitions,
and in our trials grant us your compassionate help,
that, consoled by the presence of your Son,
whose coming we now await,
we may be tainted no longer
by the corruption of former ways.
Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,
who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
God, for ever and ever. Amen.
-Collect for Tuesday of the First Week of Advent
