Sunday, December 6th
Scripture
Is 40:1-5, 9-11
Psalm 85:9-10,11-14h
2 Pt 3:8-14
Mk 1:1-8
Reflection
“Comfort, give comfort to my people, says your God.” Is 40:1
The prophetic voices in our lives are often uncomfortable. They call us to attention, to
repentance, to effort, to difficult change. Make a straight highway! Go up onto a high
mountain! We anticipate a camel’s hair shirt and a diet of locusts and wild honey. We
recognize that voice. We know that we need to repent, to reform, to convert, to begin
anew. But there is another prophetic voice, sometimes harder to hear: a voice of peace
and promise. God offers us comfort and hope, but often that message is swept aside by
the more dramatic call to action. We hear that call to action and we struggle with it, often
frustrated with the slowness and difficulty of change. In this struggle, we can lose our
peace. God has patience with us, but we find it hard to have patience with God, and with
ourselves. Let us be open to patience; let us listen for that voice of peace.
Prayer
“I will listen for the word of God;
surely the Lord will proclaim peace
to his people, to the faithful
to those who trust in him.” Ps 85:9
Personal Challenge
Today, I will try to reclaim hope and trust. I will listen for peace.
Cynthia Garcia,
Fairmont, WV
