December 7/Second Monday of Advent
Strengthen the weak hands, and make firm the feeble knees.
Say to those who are of a fearful heart, “Be strong, do not fear! Here is your God.” ~ Isa 35.3-4
Who among us in these parlous times would not admit to the occasional weak hands and feeble knees? Who among us has not experienced, if only intermittently, a fearful heart (which in the Hebrew more accurately reads “a hurried heart,” beautifully conveying the rapid palpitations of anxiety)? We look for solace and it is scarce on the ground. Our lives are tightly circumscribed, our routines are stifling, and many of us do not venture far beyond the perimeter of our homes. We wave at our neighbors from a distance, avoid hugging our friends, take extra care around our returning college students, and all of us, all of us grow weary of those pallid facsimiles of human connection known as Zoom, WebEx, and Google Hangouts. As we waver and wobble and lose heart, Isaiah comes to us today with a message that is timely and uplifting. Speaking to the deported Jews who certainly experienced their share of feeble knees and hurried hearts, he joyfully proclaims a vision of restoration and wholeness, and reminds the despairing exiles that they can find strength and courage in their God. Hinneh, he declares emphatically, “Here” — using the Hebrew word that we often translate “Behold” — a cinematic injunction that is like a sudden change in camera angle, a word intended to refocus our attention immediately, as when someone cries out “Look over there!” As we trudge wearily, anxiously, along the pandemic road, let us accept Isaiah’s invitation to retrain our sights on God, who is now, as ever, our strength, our refuge, and our Lord.
Lord of life and death, Strengthen me and give me stamina for the journey ahead, whatever it may bring. Amen.
For today’s readings, click here: https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/120720.cfm
To hear the Netherlands Bach Society sing Johann Sebastian Bach’s Fürchte dich nicht, ich bin bei dir (“Do not fear, I am with you”), click here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1629dqvlP8s
