The following stands out from today's readings.
From Isaiah 4:2-6
"He who remains in Zion / and he who is left in Jerusalem / Will be called holy: / every one marked down for life in Jerusalem."
"Then will the LORD create, / over the whole site of Mount Zion / and over her place of assembly, / A smoking cloud by day / and a light of flaming fire by night. / For over all, the LORD’s glory will be shelter and protection: / shade from the parching heat of day, / refuge and cover from storm and rain."
From Matthew 8:5-11
"For I too am a man subject to authority..."
"When Jesus heard this, he was amazed and said to those following him, / 'Amen, I say to you, in no one in Israel have I found such faith. / I say to you, many will come from the east and the west, / and will recline with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob / at the banquet in the Kingdom of heaven.' "
I can't help but see a message of salvation being spoken in the passages. They speak of the salvation that will take place at the end time. It is then that "we will be called holy" and that "many will come from the east and the west" to "the banquet in the Kingdom of heaven."
For who will savation come? The Prophet Isaiah is clear, "For over all, the Lord's glory will be shelter and protection..." Jesus is just as clear, "many will come..."
This is a beautiful Advent message. As we "wait in joyful expectation" the spirit of the season is one of hope. When Jesus comes he is hope for all, that is, salvation for all. God is calling us to holiness by following the path completed in the birth of his son Jesus. Jesus is the path. It was the coming that made salvation possible for all.
If salvation is possible for all, then what is required of us? Faith. A lived faith. A faith that recognizes, like the centurion in today's gospel, that we are all subject to authority. Not an authority to fear, but one to recognize. Daniel Harrington, S.J., writes: "It [Advent] is an occassion for us to examine ourselves and try to see where the works of darkness may have entered. But moral conversion is not the whole story. Rather, the positive challenge is 'to put on the Lord Jesus Christ.' That means allowing our lives to be shaped even more by and better conformed to the person of Christ."
Let us then be hope for all, Jesus for all. Let us truly be Catholics, let us be universal. Who are the Gentiles of today that we are called to love? Who are the Gentiles that have much to teach us and instead we make Gentiles out of them? Let us love all.
Faith, Hope, and Love--and the greatest of these is Love.
