Elijah certainly caught the imagination of the Israelites, as patron saint for those in need. Because this fierce, fiery prophet was taken from the earth in a whirlwind…

Balancing things … The need to fill the gaps in our personality is evoked by Jesus’ words today. He quotes a proverb showing how we need a joyful side, ready to dance, and a compassionate side, always ready to sympathize

Feeling really close to God… Isaiah imagines God addressing the people with nicknames, calling them “my little worm” and “my little maggot,” as a parent might affectionately do to a child squirming in its arms. Understood in this way, the words, “worm” and “maggot,” are not demeaning, but terms of endearment when attributed to God

Keeping hope alive. . .The great prophet of the Babylonian exile whom we call “Second Isaiah” was summoned by God to comfort and strengthen the people, whose memories were haunted by the destruction of their holy city, Jerusalem. Their family bonds as well as their familiar ways of life had been shattered. The prophet imagined them saying: “My way is hidden from the Lord, and my right is disregarded by my God.”

And now I’m found… The shepherd in this gospel could seem a little foolish. He leaves ninety nine sheep on the hillside to go in search of one sheep who has rambled off and is now lost. He leaves the flock defenceless to go looking for one. He risks all ninety nine for the sake of one sheep…

Most Highly-Favoured One . . . This feast reminds us of God’s loving power to make us holy. Our Blessed Lady’s sinlessness from the moment of her conception is not something earned by her own power. It is a pure gift of God, given to her for a saving purpose…

Widening horizons . . . Isaiah seems more adventurous than Jesus today. The prophet implies the immediate presence of God to his people: “No longer will your Teacher hide himself, but with your own eyes you shall see your Teacher”; while Jesus sends out others to cure sickness and disease instead of doing so himself. Isaiah’s vision sweeps across the world, “over high mountains and lofty hill” . . .

Dreaming Aloud . . . As we listen to Isaiah’s visions of the future, we may feel that his poetic hopes ignore all common sense realism. Is he dreaming as he writes: “The deaf shall hear, the eyes of the blind shall see, the tyrant will be no more, Jacob shall have no longer be ashamed”? Something of the same impression can be felt in hearing stories from the Gospel …

Who shall build up our church?… In Isaiah God builds the city, setting up its walls and ramparts to protect it; in the Gospel we build the house solidly, setting it on rock. While Isaiah summons into the new city those who trust in the Lord, Jesus promises salvation to the one who does the will of my Father in heaven. The prophetic text emphasises faith while the Gospel stresses action…

A vision of paradise created by the Spirit…At times we seem too caught up in enforcing laws and discipline, however well intended, so that some are excluded from the joy of eucharistic communion on account of their lapses from matrimonial fidelity. In our time, clergy and laity are re-thinking what Our Lord would want by way of disposition, in order to be allowed receive this gift of the Bread of Life. “Lord, I am not worthy…

Keeping up our hope…
The passage from Isaiah seems an idyllic fairy-tale, not to be taken literally. The calf and the young lion will never graze together babies should not be allowed to play near the cobra’s den. Yet the dream of universal peace and trust is worth holding on to and praying for. When our faith dreams of a better future…

1st December. Monday of Advent, Week 1 First Reading: Isaiah 2:4-6 Learning wisdom and peace from the Messiah, they shall beat their swords into ploughshares Thus says the Lord: “On that day the branch of the Lord shall be beautiful and glorious, and the fruit of the land shall be the pride and glory of…

Ending on a hopeful note: On this last day of the liturgical year we are told that while our passing from darkness to light is coming it may not come soon. Meanwhile we must live with faith in God’s eternal plan for us and for the entire world. Whether in darkness or light, we are not alone but are united with all of God’s holy ones who have gone before us…