King Ahaz and the tribe of Judah were terrified about the possibility of being attacked, so they turned to God in their distress. The Lord directs King Ahaz to ask him for a sign to show that he is with them, but Ahaz responds that he will not put the Lord to the test. Isaiah tells Ahaz that as a sign, the Virgin will conceive and give birth to a Son; that Son will be called Emmanuel. The name Emmanuel means “God is with us.” We see this prophecy as being fulfilled in the birth of Christ. This prophecy was quoted by Matthew in his Gospel, which we hear in Monday’s liturgy.
How often do we ourselves put the Lord to the test? How often do we ask for a sign from the Lord, a very specific sign that meets our own needs, our own desires, our own selfish caprices and whims. There may be a very specific sign we are asking of the Lord, but that may not be the sign he is wanting to send us. The season of Advent has a lot of signs that are sent to us – the Advent wreath, the nativity scene, the hymns we sing, the sacrament of reconciliation, the Word of God that speaks out to us at mass, and gestures of charity and generosity that people uptake during this season of preparation. All of these signs help us journey through Advent and help us prepare for the birth of the Lord. How are we following the signs, the devotions, and the rituals that the Lord is sending our way?
No comments:
Post a Comment