Messianic prophecy fills the first days of Advent. It is, therefore, quite understandable why we go immediately to the Prophet Isaiah, the most prolific of all the Messianic prophets.
Scripture scholars divide the Book of the Prophet Isaiah into three sections and even posit that each of them is written by a different prophet. The first thirty-nine chapters are identified as the work of a pre-exilic prophet, a man who brought the Word of God to bear upon the situation and condition of Israel before the Assyrian invasion with its resultant exile. The entire book reflects on the promise that God has made regarding the king of Israel; namely, that a member of David’s house will reign in Israel forever. Of course, with the Assyrian attack, the promise seems to have been empty.
The oracle which we read today on Monday of the First Week in Advent uses a familiar metaphor: the mountain of the Lord. The ancient Israelite people first entered into a covenant relationship with God at the base of a mountain. Not only Moses but also the Prophet Elijah encountered God on a mountain. This can be explained because the cosmology of these ancient people had them looking to the skies to find their God. As in the case of most ancient religions, Judaism believed that the entrance to heaven was directly above their temple, the Temple of Jerusalem. So it was natural for them to look for God on a mountain.
For those of us who are living thousands of years later, particularly those of us who live on the plains of the Midwestern United States, we know that God dwells among us not so much on mountaintops as wherever God’s people gather. Isaiah reminds us that we look to God for instruction, to learn the art of living with others in peace and harmony. The Israelites looked to the Messianic age for an end to warfare. We who have professed faith in Jesus as our Messiah are still waiting for that day when there will be no more war.
Pray for peace in our homes, in our communities, in our cities, in our country, and in the world on this Advent weekday.
Fr. Lawrence Jagdfeld, O.F.M., Administrator