As we listen to the prophet Isaiah today, we hear the promise of a future full of hope. Isaiah announces God’s plan of redemption by describing circumstances that we could not imagine in the normal functioning of the world, such as cedar trees that are transformed into a fruit-bearing orchard and the orchard transformed into a gigantic forest, such as the deaf being able to hear and the blind being able to see. We are going through a pandemic that is getting worse rather than getting better. The people in Israel was going through a difficult time as well. What does it mean to have hope amid difficult and challenging times? Hope is more than a feeling. Hope isn’t simply being perpetually optimistic or having a “hopeful” attitude. For us Christians, hope has Jesus as its source. Hope does not ignore our fears, our anxiety and our doubts. Hope does not ignore reality. But, in our hope rooted in Jesus, we are able to see our reality through the lens of our faith. The holy season of Advent reminds us that Christian hope is shaped by what has happened in the birth of Jesus and by what is going to happen, when Christ will come again. Our season of Advent calls us to a hopeful expectation and waiting, giving us endurance, confidence, and joy in our daily lives, no matter what difficulties or struggles we might face. Let us pray this first we in Advent that a sense of Advent hope and joy may infuse our lives.
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