Daily Retreat 12/04/07
2007 Dec 4 Tue:Advent Weekday/ John of Damascus, p, r, dr
Is 11:1-10/ Ps 72:1-2. 7-8. 12-13. 17/ Lk 10:21-24
From today’s readings: “On that day, A shoot shall sprout from the stump of Jesse.... Justice shall flower in His days, and profound peace.... Blessed are the eyes that see what you see. For I say to you, many prophets and kings desired to see what you see, but did not see it, and to hear what you hear, but did not hear it.”
Unfinished Business
Jesus Himself emphasized that His coming is the fulfillment of the Old Testament messianic prophecies. Yet, when reading Isaiah’s idyllic verses which tell of the messianic day when ferocious animals like lions and bears will one day be as tame as sheep and cattle, we can wonder how Jesus fulfilled that prophecy, how He lives up to the psalms claim that “justice shall flourish in His time, and fullness of peace for ever.”
But we must remember that the advent, the coming of Christ has a past, present, and future dimension. For in the past, in His earthly lifetime, Jesus worked many miracles that gave people the foretaste of the fulfillment of scripture and the blessings of His kingdom, but He still never made such miracles the new general norm of life on earth. In the present, the track record of our own life and times proves that following Christ does lead to justice and peace, but then conversely, rejecting Christ still leads to the breakdown of justice and peace. So, based on what can be learned from the past and present, it’s obvious that the scriptural fulfillment is a work in progress - we didn’t miss the fulfillment in the past; rather, through the grace of God, we’re part of the fulfillment plan, so we must still pray and work for the Messiah’s future coming in glory, for which we cry, “ Thy Kingdom Come!”
Is 11:1-10/ Ps 72:1-2. 7-8. 12-13. 17/ Lk 10:21-24
From today’s readings: “On that day, A shoot shall sprout from the stump of Jesse.... Justice shall flower in His days, and profound peace.... Blessed are the eyes that see what you see. For I say to you, many prophets and kings desired to see what you see, but did not see it, and to hear what you hear, but did not hear it.”
Unfinished Business
Jesus Himself emphasized that His coming is the fulfillment of the Old Testament messianic prophecies. Yet, when reading Isaiah’s idyllic verses which tell of the messianic day when ferocious animals like lions and bears will one day be as tame as sheep and cattle, we can wonder how Jesus fulfilled that prophecy, how He lives up to the psalms claim that “justice shall flourish in His time, and fullness of peace for ever.”
But we must remember that the advent, the coming of Christ has a past, present, and future dimension. For in the past, in His earthly lifetime, Jesus worked many miracles that gave people the foretaste of the fulfillment of scripture and the blessings of His kingdom, but He still never made such miracles the new general norm of life on earth. In the present, the track record of our own life and times proves that following Christ does lead to justice and peace, but then conversely, rejecting Christ still leads to the breakdown of justice and peace. So, based on what can be learned from the past and present, it’s obvious that the scriptural fulfillment is a work in progress - we didn’t miss the fulfillment in the past; rather, through the grace of God, we’re part of the fulfillment plan, so we must still pray and work for the Messiah’s future coming in glory, for which we cry, “ Thy Kingdom Come!”
posted by FrPitstick | 12/03/2007
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