This week’s readings are absolutely beautiful. In our first reading from Isaiah, the great prophet gets a glimpse of the Messiah. Whenever a prophet received such a vision, it was like a snapshot, an image that they often have trouble describing in words. Here Isaiah uses incredible poetic language to describe what he sees.
Did you know that there are over 300 prophecies about our Lord and the messianic era that were written hundreds of years before His birth? Think about this for a moment. This proves that Jesus was not just another philosopher among many, or just another spiritual teacher, or just simply a good guy. These prophecies prove He is the Lord as He fulfilled many of them in His life. No other religious figure in history can claim this.
There were no prophecies about Buddha before his birth. Mohammad had no one predicting his life or death before he was born, and none of the great philosophers, Plato, Socrates, Confucius, or Lao Tzu ever had one word written about them before they were born. Not one word. Now look at Jesus, He had over 300 written about Him. Everything from His birth, His life even the very animal He would ride into Jerusalem on was predicted hundreds of years before His birth. He is not just another spiritual leader. He is God manifested in the flesh. That’s cool!
St. Peter tells us to be prepared for the coming of the Lord is at hand. He wants us all to be reconciled and ready for His coming. Let us watch our tempers and be kind to others, especially during this time of year when we may be interacting with family members who can sometimes try our patience. It is not easy, but if we pay attention we can nip it in the bud.
Finally, we have the Gospel in which John the Baptist again says he is not the one, but that the “One” is coming soon. John the Baptist is considered the last of the Old Testament prophets, because he was sent to prepare the way. He was able to see the prophecies being fulfilled, and when he saw Jesus he knew he had seen things the other prophets only dreamed of seeing.
So this week, take some time to reflect on Jesus. Let His Advent light begin to burn brightly in your soul. He is not a philosophy. He is the Way the Truth and the Life. Something to think about. May God richly bless you always!