Origin:
England, S. E. (London)
Isaiah 30: 19 – 22, 23 – 26
Psalm 147: 1-12
Matthew 9:35 – 10: 1, 5 – 8
Remembering and recalling can be powerful actions in reflection; so also is our imagining capacity. When we sit in quiet seeking to imagine, picture, or hear the Scriptures speak to us, we sink more deeply into the truth of what we read. I found myself experiencing an echo-like resonance in these passages – not unlike a bell sounding in Isaiah, in turn resounding in the Psalms, and ringing yet again in Matthew.
In Isaiah, God reminds Israel through the prophets that He is coming in compassion having heard their cries. Although Israel has been in decline, their Lord will rescue them from the Assyrians and the Babylonians. The Psalm reading celebrates that very coming of God with praise and thanksgiving, recounting God’s actions of gathering, building up, and healing His people, ending with a burst of praise and love for all that God is and does. In Matthew, Jesus responds with compassion to the harassed, helpless and needy crowds. And heals them all.
We worship the Divine who came, who has come again, and again and again……there is that resounding with each coming of our God. There are collective comings for us, His people, and additionally, there are specific comings that bring His care to us as individuals.
Advent celebrates the coming of Jesus as a human babe; it is God being Himself – the One who came, who comes again, over and over, in faithful love. Let us listen, imagine and lift our hearts with the Sisters this Advent. Their convent bell rings every day with this promise of God.
The Divine – He who comes. Hear the rings, celebrate, love and give thanks.
Joy Alloway
