Advent Daily Devotionals - What Hope Looks Like - 7th Dec

WHAT HOPE LOOKS LIKE

7^th December

Readings of the Day:

First Reading, Isaiah 29:17-24
Responsorial Psalm, Psalms 27:1, 4, 13-14
Gospel, Matthew 9:27-31

Reading 1, Isaiah 29:17-24

Is it not true that in a very short time the Lebanon will become productive ground, so productive you might take it for a forest? That day the deaf will hear the words of the book and, delivered from shadow and darkness, the eyes of the blind will see. The lowly will find ever more joy in Yahweh and the poorest of people will delight in the Holy One of Israel; for the tyrant will be no more, the scoffer has vanished and all those on the look-out for evil have been destroyed: those who incriminate others by their words, those who lay traps for the arbitrator at the gate and groundlessly deprive the upright of fair judgement.

That is why Yahweh, God of the House of Jacob, Abraham's redeemer, says this, 'No longer shall Jacob be disappointed, no more shall his face grow pale, for when he sees his children, my creatures, home again with him, he will acknowledge my name as holy, he will acknowledge the Holy One of Jacob to be holy and will hold the God of Israel in awe. Erring spirits will learn to understand and murmurers accept instruction.’

Responsorial Psalm, Psalms 27:1, 4, 13-14

Yahweh is my light and my salvation, whom should I fear? 

Yahweh is the fortress of my life, whom should I dread?

One thing I ask of Yahweh, one thing I seek: to dwell in Yahweh's house all the days of my life, to enjoy the sweetness of Yahweh, to seek out his temple.

This I believe: I shall see the goodness of Yahweh, in the land of the living. 

Put your hope in Yahweh, be strong,

let your heart be bold, put your hope in Yahweh.

Gospel, Matthew 9:27-31

As Jesus went on his way two blind men followed him shouting, 'Take pity on us, son of David.' And when Jesus reached the house the blind men came up to him and he said to them, 'Do you believe I can do this?' They said, 'Lord, we do.'

Then He touched their eyes saying, 'According to your faith, let it be done to you.' And their sight returned. Then Jesus sternly warned them, 'Take care that no one learns about this.' But when they had gone away, they talked about him all over the countryside.

Writer’s Reflection

Do I believe this ground might be ‘so productive you might take it for a forest’? Do I believe I will ‘see the goodness of God in the land of the living’? Do I believe He ‘can do this’?

I find it increasingly easy nowadays to fall into the trap of despair. I seek to ‘enjoy the sweetness of God’ but cannot. Aside from the struggles of everyday life, this despair grows particularly leading up to Christmas, as I look around and see the world’s blindness to its true meaning. Especially at this time of year, when the shops are so hyper-commercialised, meaningless Christmas music has been playing for at least a month already, and the Church is consistently emptier than it will be on Christmas Day, it can be disheartening to watch and wait, feeling as though the eyes of the blind will NEVER see.

As Christians in love with Jesus, it’s hardly surprising that a lack of evident faith deflates us. The morphing of gifts for our Saviour into gifts for ourselves, the fixation on family (which should be celebrated continuously, not just once a year), and ignorance of the Holy Family, should cause concern. Yet, to dwell on these things masks the fact that this Advent, or this Christmas, Christ will still become someone’s light, their sight, and their Lord. There are those for whom this Christmas will not just be about the whims of this world, but the start of a journey of faith.

When I focus on things that distract from God and His goodness, unsurprisingly, I too am distracted from God and His goodness! I recognise all the things that are going wrong, and I fail to recognise the effervescent, eternal goodness of God. These readings remind me that I am not called to a spirit of despair; I am called to put my faith in God, be bold, and let my heart hope; to pray for people, and delight in the ways that the Lord is working in their lives.

Practically, we can bring Christ back into the Advent and Christmas seasons, by living out our faith, giving Him Lordship in our life, and looking for opportunities to share the reason for our joy with others. Only then will we be able to give glory to the fact that He works as many miracles in and through us today, as He did two-thousand years ago.

Prayer Reflection:

Please join me in praying for an increase in the virtue of hope; that it may only increase, and never waiver, for the greater glory of God.

Writer Bio: Miriam David

Hello, my name is Miriam. I am 21 and currently praying my way through the fourth and final year of a Politics degree at the University of Exeter.

I secretly still want to be in Canada, where I spent my year abroad pretending to study Politics and actually learning how to be a multiplying missionary disciple for Christ with the help of Catholic Christian Outreach. When I look back on my faith journey, I can see how important it was that other Catholics my age loved me as an individual and took the time to help me grow in faith.

Reader, please do that for someone. Attend a Catholic event this week, invite someone else along, step outside of your comfort zone, and offer to pray with them. If you are invited, please remember our Blessed Mother, and say ‘yes’.