Sacred Heart of Jesus Parish

FR MICHAEL BOAKYE YEBOAH

CATHOLIC ARCHDIOCESE OF KUMASI

“WHAT I SAW…”

            “What I saw…” has to do with the vision of Isaiah concerning the coming of the Lord. During the prophetic ministry of Isaiah some of the Gentiles loved his prophecies simply because they were friendly to their ears. It is generally believed that some of the Old Testament writers presented a theology that makes God the sole “Father” of the Jews (as if other nations were not part of the plans of God).

            Isaiah in his prophecies developed a theology that gave room for the Gentile nations in the house of God. Isaiah presented the messiah as a savior for all peoples. Some scripture commentators are even of the opinion that some Gentiles were very familiar with those Isaianic texts of hope; and a good example is the Ethiopian Eunuch we read of in the Acts of the Apostles. When Philip found him, he was reading an Isaianic text. It is a popular opinion that some Gentiles made a yearly pilgrimage to Jerusalem though they knew that they will not be allowed to enter the inner temple area but they had the hope that when the messiah comes all nations will be allowed access to the house of God.

            On this First Sunday of Advent, the readings given to us for our reflection give us food for thought. The food for thought is that with the right preparation we will find ourselves in the Lord’s presence when he comes.

            The hope that Isaiah gives to the nations is very clear in today’s first reading: “In days to come, the mountain of the Lord’s house shall be established as the highest mountain and raised above the hills. All nations shall stream toward it; many people shall come and say: ‘Come, let us climb the Lord’s mountain…” The emphasis I would like to place here is that what was reserved to the Jews was made available to all nations who came to it.

            As the Lord gave this generous offer to the people of the nations, he added a condition. Those who were to embrace the offer were to be ready to be instructed in the ways of the Lord. People were not invited to have a “care free” life in the Lord. Isaiah makes this clear with these graphic words: “Come, let us climb the Lord’s mountain, to the house of the God of Jacob, that he may instruct us in his ways…” The reason and condition for one’s acceptance to come to the Lord was and is to be instructed in the ways of the Lord.

            The prophet went on to give an immediate effect to those who will accept to be instructed in the ways of the Lord. The promise he gave was that people who are instructed in the Lord will be blessed with peaceful co-existence with their neighbors - “…one nation shall not raise the sword against another, nor shall they train for war again…”

            The prophetic decree of the Lord stands true today. Anybody or groups of people who accept the teachings of the Lord can be sure that living in peace with their brethren will become a creed of life. I can confidently state that the peace we are enjoying in our world is due to the fact that Christians are in the majority. Our Lord Jesus Christ through his church continue to nurture us to opt for peace under any circumstance and this continues to be the Christian way. Anybody who uses war to settle disputes cannot be described as an authentic Christian.

            As the season of advent prepares us for the Lord’s coming and the Christmas festivities, we are encouraged to iron out our differences so that we will celebrate Christmas in peace and joy. As the inspired writer used “instruction in the Lord’s ways” and “co-existing in peace” as his guiding words for preparation for the Lord’s coming, St Paul in the second reading gives the preparation a moral touch.

            The learned Apostle counseled Christians to be upright when he wrote: “…it is the hour now for you to awake from sleep…the night is advanced; the day is at hand. Let us then throw off the works of darkness and put on the armor of light; let us conduct ourselves properly as in the day, not in orgies and drunkenness, not in promiscuity and lust, not in rivalry and jealousy. But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the desires of the flesh.”

            As much as living in good moral life is highly recommended for Christians as we await the Lord’s coming; the Lord adds a very important element. The Lord states that he will come unexpectedly and so the believer needs to stay awake at all times. This advice is very important for some of us who only prepare for a known occasion like Christmas. Christ will come on the day we will not expect so the need to stay and live always prepared.

            The inspired writers have given us what they saw concerning the coming of the Lord and the preparations demanded of us. I would like to conclude with the following important notes: firstly, Isaiah in the first reading advised us that now that we have been invited to be part of God’s children let us practice the spirituality of lectio divina (reading and be guided by the words of God); and secondly, living by the word of the Lord demands that one lives in peace with his/her brethren. A Christian cannot hold the bible in one hand and the sword in another – this is not Christianity. St. Paul also tells us that as we await the Lord’s coming, living in uprightness is highly demanded of us. Sin should never be sugar-coated by a Christian. A sin is a sin - full stop. And lastly, the Lord counsels us that we should always stay awake and prepared because he will come on a day we least expect. OUR OF PERPETUAL HELP PRAY FOR US.