Wednesday of the First Week of Advent
Isaiah is our constant companion this season. His name means “Yahweh is Salvation,” and he points us to Jesus, our own path to salvation. In today’s first reading he tells us of a mountain on which the Lord of hosts will provide for all people. He will provide a feast of rich foods, wipe the tears from every eye and destroy death forever.
Fast forward to the Gospel reading. Imagine being in attendance in the great crowd, on this mountain. As an obedient Jew, you would be familiar with Isaiah’s prophecy of the mountain – the prophecy of great healing and a great feast being served. Seeing Jesus heal the lame and make the blind see and the dumb speak, would this be the moment when you would realize this is the Messiah, who the prophets foretold? Would it happen when Jesus turned the seven loaves and a few fish into a feast to feed the multitudes? I wonder if this would be enough for me to recognize the Lord here in my midst, here on this holy mountain.
The Psalmist tells us the Good Shepherd will lead us to a verdant pasture. We hear of a table spread before us, and a cup overflowing. We need this reminder that we are His flock, and he leads us up to his holy mountain, where we are nourished and fed.
The challenge in all three readings is that we hear how Christ will set a feast for us, wipe away our suffering, and heal our wounds, BUT our world is hungry, our world is suffering, and our world is dying. It’s clear that Christ’s promises have not been fulfilled here, on this Earth. We look towards salvation, towards Parousia, towards eternity, with the hope of a resurrection people. We believe that there is a great feast set for us, in a place without suffering, a place where we are healed and made whole. Jesus is our salvation, and it is only when we follow Him that we are brought to fullness on the holy mountain of the Lord. Amen.
—AJ Grimm