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Friday of the First Week of Advent
Isaiah 29:17-24
Psalm 27:I, 4, 13-14
Matthew 9:27-31
Summary
The reading in Isaiah is a prophesy of good things to come,
in“a very little while,”we “will rejoice in the Holy One.” Evil doers
will be cut off and the just man will reverence the Holy One, the
God of Israel.
Reflection
I had a heavy heart, wet eyes and tears in my throat before I read to-
day’s first reading; you see I have a friend who is dying and will proba-
bly have passed by the time you read this. It doesn’t matter, at times
like these, that I have been involved with the Bereavement Ministry for
5 years; it hurts. It does mean that I have a wonderful support group
of friends and parishioners who will
listen and hold me, and my friend, up in prayer.
It is in this state of mind that I came to read the first reading of the
day and I wasn’t disappointed. It opened up heaven to me and the
grandness of it grew ‘from Lebanon to an orchard to a forest!’ How big
and expanding is heaven; and the inclusiveness of it ‘the deaf shall
hear’‘the blind shall see’‘the lowly will …find joy in the Lord.’ Is this
passage really about heaven? It is to me, and isn’t
that how the Lord speaks to us… through His Word. When we are
heavy hearted and in need He opens up His Word to comfort us (as
well as encourage, instruct and correct).
The first time I lost a dear friend I remem-
ber that I wanted to know what heaven
was like and I searched the scripture and
found that it is indescribable, our words
are too limited. I don’t really believe that