FRIDAY DECEMBER 15, 2023
FRIDAY OF THE SECOND WEEK OF ADVENT YR B
Isaiah 48:17-19
Matthew 11:16-19
RESPONDING POSITIVELY TO THE IMPULSES OF DIVINE INITIATIVE AND DIVINE MESSAGES
In life, Change is a very necessary and important element to human development and experiences. But such changes are highly unlikely to be met with positive attitude from people. Rather criticism and all forms of castigation, resistance and even rejections are initial and sometimes sustained reactions to change.
The gospel of today sees Jesus scolding the people of his time for their negligence, resistance and obvious castigation of two fold ways in which divine message of God were communicated to them of which they outrightly criticized castigated and rejected.
God’s initiative in sending John the Baptist with his characteristic lifestyle and mission, by his strange looks, strange food and austere life, brought rejection from the people who would not accept him and so disregarded him. And they saw him as being possessed and having a demon. In another way, Jesus himself came, mingled with the people, ate and drank with them and then again the people accused him of being friend of sinners and tax collectors and a glutton.
Man’s response to divine initiative and salvation always comes with criticisms, complains, resistance and most times excuses and ultimately rejections. The advent season comes once again and we are faced with the option of making necessary changes in our lives as we prepare ourselves for the coming of our Lord. Yet we may be confronted again by the inclination as it was in the time of Jesus of people raising doubts and objections on why they must make changes in their lives, in preparation for the coming of Christ.
Notwithstanding, that even the life we are living now is not satisfying for us. We are still not happy with our level of spiritual growth and acquisition, we are very uncomfortable with our relationships with God and others. We sometimes complain about situations of our world, of our country and our families and even of our lives. Yet we tend to rationalize, resist and refuse to confront the present situations that we are even not comfortable with by the change demanded by divine messages sent to us this season of Advent.
The prophet Isaiah in the first reading encourages us to abandon our obstinate heart and stubborn spirit and key into the divine message of God seeking and heeding the call for necessary turn around, towards preparing ourselves for the coming of the Saviour.
When we need the call for total turn around, God through the prophet Isaiah promises us peace, righteousness, abundance, and long life. As he says, “O that you had listened to my commandments! Then your peace would have been like a river, and your righteousness like the waves of the sea; your offspring would have been like the sand, and your descendants like its grains; their name would never be cut off or destroyed from before me.”
We need therefore to be opened to the graces and blessings in store for us even as we celebrate these advent season and prepare ourselves by accepting change, being open and acceptable to the dictates of divine wisdom and never objecting, criticizing or denigrating divine message and commands.
Heavenly Father, grant that we may be open and receptive to the message of salvation you send to us each day. May we never question, criticize or reject your words and messages to us. Quicken our spirits to understand, comprehend, internalize and cooperate with your instructions for our lives and our eternal salvation. May we be enriched, lifted above our difficulties, rise above our limitations and win the prize of life, peace and happiness in this season of advent through Christ our Lord.
Fr Norbert Uchuno
