Reading 1
Is 48:17-19
Thus says the LORD, your redeemer,
the Holy One of Israel:
I, the LORD, your God,
teach you what is for your good,
and lead you on the way you should go.
If you would hearken to my commandments,
your prosperity would be like a river,
and your vindication like the waves of the sea;
Your descendants would be like the sand,
and those born of your stock like its grains,
Their name never cut off
or blotted out from my presence.
Ps 1:1-2, 3, 4 and 6
Responsorial PsalmR.
(see John 8:12)
Those who follow you, Lord, will have the light of life.
Blessed the man who follows not
the counsel of the wicked
Nor walks in the way of sinners,
nor sits in the company of the insolent,
But delights in the law of the LORD
and meditates on his law day and night.
R. Those who follow you, Lord, will have the light of life.
He is like a tree
planted near running water,
That yields its fruit in due season,
and whose leaves never fade.
Whatever he does, prospers.
R. Those who follow you, Lord, will have the light of life.
Not so the wicked, not so;
they are like chaff which the wind drives away.
For the LORD watches over the way of the just,
but the way of the wicked vanishes.
R. Those who follow you, Lord, will have the light of life.
Gospel
Mt 11:16-19
Jesus said to the crowds:
“To what shall I compare this generation?
It is like children who sit in marketplaces and call to one another,
‘We played the flute for you, but you did not dance,
we sang a dirge but you did not mourn.’
For John came neither eating nor drinking, and they said,
‘He is possessed by a demon.’
The Son of Man came eating and drinking and they said,
‘Look, he is a glutton and a drunkard,
a friend of tax collectors and sinners.’
But wisdom is vindicated by her works.”
Meditation: Isaiah 48:17-19
“If you would hearken to my commandments…” (Isaiah 48:18)
Throughout Israel’s history, God has been pleading with his people to do just that. But it seems to have been a process of “two steps forward, one step back.” After Moses gave the commandments, many got caught up in idol worship. After God gave them a homeland and a king, they became enamored of the ways of the gentile nations surrounding them. Now that they are exiled in Babylon, a prophet sends them the same message. But how are they going to finally do what God asks of them?
Perhaps the answer is found in the previous verse: “I, the Lord, your God, teach you what is for your good” (Isaiah 48:17). If Israel would believe that it is God himself speaking to them, not just the voice of a prophet or a priest, surely they would listen to him. They would not see his commandments as oppressive but as words of wisdom and guidance—as laws that can give them peace.
What about us? Let’s take a step today toward letting God teach us and lead us. It’s really not all that hard. After all, Jesus is with us every step of the way. And not only that, he has sent his Holy Spirit to live in our hearts. He is with us right now, just waiting for us to turn to him. He wants to encourage us, to give us his strength, and to show us how deeply our heavenly Father loves us. He wants to teach us God’s ways, to show us the path God has marked out for us, and to help pick us up whenever we fall.
So let’s fix our attention on the Holy Spirit today. Let’s not think so much about what we have to accomplish in these days before Christmas. And by all means, we shouldn’t think about all the ways we have to obey the Lord. Instead, we can quiet our minds and let the Spirit fill us with his peace.
So go ahead and meditate on the promises God makes in today’s first reading. Give the Lord room in your life. Sit at his feet, and let him take over!
“Lord, I have so much to learn from you. Let me hear your word in my heart, so that it can transform me.”
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