Second Sunday of Advent – Cycle A
Reflecting on Isaiah 11:1-10
Ah, the peaceable kingdom. How we long for the day when the wolf shall be guest of the lamb, and the calf and the young lion browse together. But how on earth (and in heaven) do we build it?
Peaceable Kingdom, painting Edward Hicks
I recently came across a letter from my childhood friend Gloria, written on the occasion of my mother’s death. I’ve saved it all these years because I need to take in the comfort that her words still give me: Kathy, you loved your mom so well. Don’t make yourself sick in the years to come agonizing that you didn’t do enough. I stand as a witness to your life, and I’m telling you that you loved her well.
And then the peace comes. And flowing from that peace comes the grace to send similar letters to people I know who may need an extra infusion of love today. Is there anybody in my life I can let off the hook? Is there anyone to whom I can say, “That little thing? Are you kidding?? Don’t even worry about it! I totally forgot about it a million years ago.”
Is there a friend or relative whose entire DNA is completely foreign to you, whose behavior is consistently grating, whose past offenses haven’t been nearly as itemized and publicized as they should be? Tap into the grace that is always there―the kingdom of God is within you―and see them as God does, who has been the constant witness to their life and wants to heal them today, through you.
There is no peace until we are each at peace, and it begins now. Find someone to be extra gracious to today. And then stand back and watch the kingdom break forth.
Sharing God’s Word at Home:
Have you ever seen someone differently when you look through God’s eyes?
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I have come to light a fire on the earth; how I wish it were already burning (Lk.12:49).