IS 30:19-21, 23-26
PS 147:1-2, 3-4, 5-6
MT 9:35-10:1, 5A 6-8
The words in
today’s first reading, from the Book of Isaiah, restores faith in the reader
that God will bring redemption in the face of the suffering that life in this
imperfect world inevitably brings.
Isaiah says,
“Thus says the Lord GOD,
the Holy One of Israel:
O people of Zion, who dwell in Jerusalem,
no more will you weep;
He will be gracious to you when you cry out,
as soon as he hears he will answer you.”
This
is an incredibly hopeful and comforting passage, especially for those who have
suffered intense pain, whether from loneliness, heartbreak, systematic
oppression including racism, homophobia, sexism, and xenophobia, grief from
loss, illness, or any other struggle. In
the midst of this suffering, it can seem as if God has abandoned us. However, if we look at God’s love through a
lens of liberation, we can see that although we suffer now, in this life, we
will find redemption later on, when the Lord comes, and He “will give you the
bread you need and the water for which you thirst. This is especially relevant in this beautiful
season of Advent, in which we as Christians exist in a constant state of
waiting for the coming of Christ. We
pray and we struggle for justice as our way of waiting for Jesus, who hears our
cries, to come and redeem those who suffer.
Julia Murphy is a junior English major.
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