Daily Seasonal Reflections
Tuesday of the Second Week of Advent
Fr. Trey Nelson
 
 
“Why, O Jacob, do you say, and declare, O Israel, ‘My way is hidden from the Lord, and my right is disregarded by my God?’ Do you not know or have you not heard? The Lord is the eternal God,  creator of the ends of the earth. He does not faint nor grow weary, and his knowledge is beyond scrutiny.  He gives strength to the fainting; for the weak he makes vigor abound.” (From Isaiah 40:25-31)
 
 
In my experience, the people who, by human standards, seem to have the right to complain to God  about life, do not. They, in fact, go in the opposite direction.   Somehow, some way, they find the courage to let go and trust.  I find this especially the case for those who maybe received some not-so-good news from their physician.  It is in moments such as these that we realize how much control we simply do not have.   We are powerless before most things, except our attitude. When we can assume the attitude of Christ, the Suffering Servant, then we achieve a type of peace that is hard to describe in words. It always amazes me how those people who “bear the burdens we think we could never bear” seem to rise to the occasion and minister to us!
 
Still, God understands more than anyone our moments of doubt, questioning, and anger.  The Lord knows there will be times when we are seriously disappointed in in ourselves, in others, and even in Him.  Through it all, He loves us and invites us to return to that promise of His fidelity.   To quote the Irish Jesuit Fathers (sacredspace.ie) in reference to our first reading from today’s Mass, “The reading is a message for all those who feel that life is working against them.”   There are those moments when we feel—or are tempted to feel—that life is working against us. There are those moments when it seems as if “the hits just keep on comin’.” If we look at today’s Gospel, we are reminded that, while Jesus never promised us a pain-free life or to take away our burdens, he did promise again and again to share that yoke with us, to help us carry it, pull it along.
 
More than 30 years ago, I met an incredible woman.   She has since then passed from us.   I would notice her at Mass every Sunday.   You could tell that it was difficult for her to walk.  Almost 2 years went by before someone shared with me that she had lost one of her legs several years before due to an illness.  It never occurred to me that this was what made walking difficult for her.   Here’s the thing, though.  She was one of the kindest, happiest people I had ever met.  I can imagine that she would make the decision every morning to get up and make the most of things. I can also imagine that she made that bigger decision long before I met here—the decision to believe that God had not abandoned her.   She achieved the grace of accepting her reality as one of grace and blessing.
 
This was exactly what Jesus did from the day he was born. Just look at those who travelled from far and near to see the Christ Child.   From day one, his heart was a welcome heart to those who had perhaps bordered on losing hope.  Give thanks to those people of hope who have encouraged us along—and be that person of hope for others. For, as Isaiah reminds us today, “God will always give strength to the fainting and vigor to the weak.” (From Isaiah 40:25-31)
 
Always.