From today's first reading: "In days to come, the mountain of the LORD’s house shall be established as the highest mountain and raised above the hills. All nations shall stream toward it; many peoples shall come and say: 'Come, let us climb the LORD’s mountain, to the house of the God of Jacob, that he may instruct us in his ways, and we may walk in his paths' . . . They shall beat their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks; one nation shall not raise the sword against another, nor shall they train for war again. O house of Jacob, come, let us walk in the light of the Lord!"
The prophet Isaiah was speaking to a divided kingdom of Israel: the northern portion already conquered by the Assryians, and the smaller, southern portion under constant military threat. Yet he delivers a promise that the house of God will not only survive, but be raised above all other kingdoms and all that humanity could accomplish.
"Salvation is disruptive. Sometimes, as in Scripture, God's salvation is unmistakeable . . . More often, however, Christ's disruptive salvation comes in quiet ways of daily life. Although nothing stays the same, the moment of our visitation is easy to miss." (Rev. Michael Simone, SJ, America, November 21, 2016, "Stay Awake!")
What God proposes, through the words of Isaiah, is disruptive indeed. The kingdom that God describes was for all peoples, all nations. The Hebrew people of the kingdom of Israel would not be its only inhabitants, but "many peoples." This incorporation of all people would not be accomplished, as one would suppose in the circumstances, by warfare, but through cooperation and peace: "one nation shall not raise the sword against another, nor shall they train for war again."
"Because you have to prepare the hearts of others for the coming of Jesus Christ, you must first of all dispose your own hearts to be entirely filled with zeal in order to render your words effective in those whom you instruct." (De La Salle, Med. 2.2)
Every semester brings its own challenges, and this one has been no exception. Several of our younger students, more than I can remember in the past, seem to be succumbing to the paralysis of stress. A few of our students had job-related and behavior concerns, and we lost a senior. An event happened a couple of weeks ago that shook many of our students and their families and brought fear to part of our community. In our final three weeks, though, we do not have live simply in response to the challenges that our semester has brought. We have the opportunity to be God's disruptive and saving presence in the lives of our students. As the season of Advent calls us to journey together with God and be aware of his presence in our lives, we can "dispose our hearts" in the love of all people that Christ offers. We can share that love to disrupt the fear and stress that is holding our students back. We can live as examples of inclusion, cooperation, and peace, "render[ing] our words effective" in teaching that school provides more than grades and winning athletic events. We can offer God's presence in the content and pedagogical methods that we provide. In zeal, let us make sure that the moments of God's visitation and salvation are not missed in our offices, morning assemblies, and classrooms!
Live, Jesus - whose coming is certain and whose day draws near - in our hearts!