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Friday of the First Week of Advent
Isaiah 29:17-24
Psalm 27: 1, 4, 13-14
Matthew 9: 27-31
Summary
The Book of Isaiah was authored by the foremost poet/mystical
prophet in the Bible. He inspired hope and trust for the future by
predicting the time of peace throughout Israel, Judah and other na-
tions, when “people will beat swords into plowshares”. Isaiah’s
message is not only historical, but timeless.
Reflection
This message is repeated throughout the New Testament, in which
God reconciles Heaven and Earth. An example is found in Mat-
thew’s Gospel regarding Jesus’s miracles. As healer to two blind
men, Jesus asks the question, “Do you believe that I am able to do
this?” Implicit is the question, “who or what do you say I am to
you?” Thus, hope and trust in the Lord are expressed in His fol-
lowers as they experience mysterious powers that transform their
lives.
Who or what do we say Jesus Christ is? If we were to look at the
early Christian Church, Jesus was born into a Near Eastern culture,
located in Palestine. From there, his influence spread in all direc-
tions: Turkey into Greco-Roman lands; the Middle East through Is-
lamic lands, Iraq, Syria and Turkey; southwest Africa, across the
Strait of Gibraltar and up the cost of
France to Brittany and Ireland – all very
unique in their respective cultures and
belief systems. In short, there are dis-
tinctly widely held versions of the teach-
ings of Jesus in addition to our Western