As the Book of the Prophet Isaiah nears its end, the people who have been in exile in Babylon are at last returning home. Isaiah reassures the people, bringing glad tidings to the poor, proclaiming liberty to the captives and release to the prisoners, and announcing a year of favor from the Lord. God is active and working in their midst, in other words; they have but to trust in the power of God to redeem them in the midst of destruction. Isaiah, clothed with encouragement and strength by the Lord, communicates a promise of spiritual redemption to the people, one in which they, with him, rejoice!
John the Baptist’s promise of one who is coming after me is similarly intended to uplift the people of his time. Jesus is, as the evangelist John writes, the light to which John the Baptist came to testify. Unfortunately, the priests, Levites, and Pharisees do not believe they are in the dark: they have a clear idea of who the Messiah will be, and they will not recognize Jesus. But some will hear John’s call to conversion and fidelity, and will put their faith in the one already among them whom they do not recognize, Jesus, the Word of God, the light, sent to redeem a fallen world. And then? They will, like Mary in Luke’s Gospel, rejoice in their God. Mary’s canticle is a direct response to the wonder of the Incarnation taking place within her, for she knows that God has mercy on those who fear him, in every generation, and she thus proclaims the greatness of the Lord, joy-filled at all that is to come.
Rejoice always, Paul writes to the Thessalonians. Do not quench the Spirit. For the Lord Jesus Christ has come to save us; he has died and risen for our sake, revealing the depth of God’s love for us – we must not be sad or feel our situation is hopeless. And the Lord’s activity is ongoing: may the God of peace make you perfectly holy, and may you entirely, spirit, soul, and body, be preserved blameless for Jesus’ second coming. We can rely upon God – he will accomplish all – through the work of the Holy Spirit in our midst. And if the Lord is active in your life, how can you help but be filled with joy? So, rejoice… rejoice always!
This post is based on Fr. Pat’s Scripture class.
Image source: www.wordclouds.com
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