Today we read an oracle from the Prophet Isaiah that is probably familiar to all of us. As a matter of fact, the Christmas card industry has made this oracle an icon of the Christmas Season. “Then the wolf shall be a guest of the lamb, and the leopard shall lie down with the young goat; the calf and the young lion shall browse together, with a little child to guide them. The cow and the bear shall graze, together their young shall lie down; the lion shall eat hay like the ox. The baby shall play by the viper's den, and the child lay his hand on the adder's lair. . .” (Isaiah 11:6-8).
One of the most pervasive themes of the Gospels is the reversal theme. This oracle from the Hebrew Scriptures is a classic example of that theme as it prepares us for the Day of the Lord. The natural enmities with which we are all acquainted come to an end in this prophecy.
We often speak of the second coming of Christ to take place at the end of the world. Some apocalyptic literature seems to indicate that the universe as we know it will be destroyed, something of a reversal of the "big bang" theory. Franciscan philosophers and theologians such as St. Bonaventure of Bagnoreggio and Bl. John Duns Scotus argue that Christ's redemptive victory over death will extend to the world of nature and that our world will also be redeemed. Thus natural disasters as we know them now – flood, hurricane, tsunami, earthquake, fire and wind storms – will all cease to exist. Not only will God's faithful people live forever, but so also shall all of the created universe. This oracle from Isaiah seems to point in that very direction.
Peace is elusive in our world; one only needs to read the headlines of a daily newspaper to come to that conclusion. It is just as elusive in nature. I used to have a bird feeder just outside my office window when I lived in Cicero and enjoyed watching the birds as they came for their daily feast. However, I could not help but notice that they fought for a place at the table. Frequently the neighborhood cats and squirrels would join in the fighting. Just as they fight for a chance to feed upon the seeds, human beings fight over possessions and power and superiority over others. Today's reading from Isaiah points us in a different direction. This idyllic picture reminds us of what God has in store for those who live in peace.
An old man once said to me, “God created hell for people who can’t get along together in this world.” I find myself coming back to that pearl of wisdom as I peruse the headlines, surf the net, and listen to the news. I suspect that most people of faith think that heaven is reserved for those who toe the line of the commandments. However, if those same people cannot get along with their neighbors, doesn’t it make sense that they cannot inhabit the same “place” in the next life?
Each time we approach the altar, we do so having greeted each other in peace. We remember that Jesus gave departed this world granting us his legacy, the legacy of peace.
Fr. Lawrence Jagdfeld, O.F.M.