Tuesday of the Fourth Week of Advent
The first scripture reading for today, from Isaiah, talks of a sign. There are a few different things to note about signs. First, signs are intended to get people’s attention. Think of the way a stop sign gets our attention with its bright color drawing attention to its important message. Second, signs are a kind of proof pointing to something beyond themselves. For instance, NASA is currently looking for signs that life may have existed on Mars. Or think of an archaeologist who takes fragments of clay and stone as signs that ancient people lived in a particular area. In a similar way, the Catholic Church views the sacraments as signs that show God’s action in our lives. They go beyond the actions performed and the words that are said to mediate graces but also to reveal something about God. Third and finally, a sign helps us to understand things and help us discern what is important for our lives. A sign therefore is not a mere symbol. It is more than what it appears to be.
The first reading today, from Isaiah, speaks of God’s revelation of a sign to Ahaz. The sign is that a virgin shall give birth to a son whose name is Emmanuel. The gospel reading identifies this sign as Mary giving birth to Jesus. Calling this event a sign means that we can look at it from the three perspectives mentioned above. It gets our attention, it tells us something about God, and it helps us to see what is truly important. A virgin birth is something out of the ordinary and suggests that it is a very important event. The gospel reading speaks of Jesus as the fulfillment of the promise made by God that David’s kingdom will last forever. Yet it is not an earthly kingdom that is being announced here. It seems to me that this sign points to who God is and what God is doing in the world. Jesus is Emmanuel – God with us, God incarnate, dwelling among us. This is a very deep and powerful thing. It means that God is near to us, united to us in the person of Jesus Christ. This is indeed a sign of who God is. It tells us that God loves us and wants to draw us closer.
We have another sign of God’s life with us today – namely, the Eucharistic sacrifice in the mass. Jesus’ bodily presence in the mass shows us that God takes his relationship with us seriously and desires us to draw closer to him. In the Isaiah reading, Ahaz wasn’t sure he wanted a sign from God; he states that he doesn’t want to put God to the test. Perhaps he was afraid that this might commit him to a deeper relationship with the Lord. In this last week of Advent as we approach the feast of Christmas, we have the opportunity to make the birth of Jesus a living sign for our lives. Let us make the best of this opportunity to do so, remembering as we do that Jesus is with us all along the way.
- Joel Schickel