We
hear a lot of voices cry out to us in the world. Think of all the presidential candidates,
both Republican and Democrat, who are trying to get notice and trying to rise
in the polls in the upcoming presidential primaries. We
hear from different prophets during the Advent season – Baruch, the Blessed
Virgin, Joseph, and John the Baptist to name a few. Isaiah is a prophet we often hear from during this season of preparation. The
Church has chosen Isaiah for us to hear so frequently during Advent because his
prophecies and messages bring us the words we need to hear as we prepare and
wait and stay on guard during this holy season.
Today,
the message Isaiah brings us about God does not mince any words. The
prophet tells us that our God alone is the Lord, that there is no other. God
created the heavens and earth not so it could be forever empty, but that we,
his creation, could inhabit them. If
this is indeed true, then we need to see ourselves not as aliens who have been
thrust upon a foreign or hostile planet, but rather, we human being are an
intrinsic part of the story of creation. Moreover,
if this is what God had in mind, we need to really think about how we live our
lives and how we take care of the earth. So
often during human history, humanity has seen the earth and the rest of
creation as something we could exploit and use without much thought or consequences. It is estimated that the population of the
earth has doubled in population since 1965, in 50 short years. That is a staggering fact to consider. How
are we taking care of the world’s resources as a global community? How
are we Christians being good stewards and witnesses to our brothers and sisters
in our world.
God,
the creator spirit, who made heaven and earth, who sent his son to be born in a
manger in Bethlehem in Ancient Israel as our Savior, is still at work in our
world today. The
creator spirit of God the Father is still leading us and guiding us. It is
still involved in our evolution as a planet and as his people. Are
we cooperating with him and following his plan in our lives? These
are perhaps interesting things to contemplate as we prepare for the coming of
the Lord.
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