On that day, A shoot shall sprout from the stump of Jesse, and from his roots a bud shall blossom. The Spirit of the LORD shall rest upon him: a Spirit of wisdom and of understanding, A Spirit of counsel and of strength, a Spirit of knowledge and of fear of the LORD, and his delight shall be the fear of the LORD. Not by appearance shall he judge, nor by hearsay shall he decide, But he shall judge the poor with justice, and decide aright for the land's afflicted. He shall strike the ruthless with the rod of his mouth, and with the breath of his lips he shall slay the wicked. Justice shall be the band around his waist, and faithfulness a belt upon his hips. Then the wolf shall be a guest of the lamb, and the leopard shall lie down with the kid; The calf and the young lion shall browse together, with a little child to guide them. The cow and the bear shall be neighbors, together their young shall rest; the lion shall eat hay like the ox. The baby shall play by the cobra's den, and the child lay his hand on the adder's lair. There shall be no harm or ruin on all my holy mountain; for the earth shall be filled with knowledge of the LORD, as water covers the sea. On that day, The root of Jesse, set up as a signal for the nations, The Gentiles shall seek out, for his dwelling shall be glorious.
REFLECTION
"A shoot shall sprout from the stump of Jesse," Isaiah is prophesysing that the Messiah will come from the lineage of Jesse, the father of King David.
For two thousand years the chosen people hoped for this prophecy to be fulfilled. Jesus, the Messiah, came and redeemed us. But is the rest of this prophecy fulfilled?
We are two thousand years past Jesus' Redemption, and now we hope for His coming back to us. In Advent we light each candle in the Advent wreath during the four Sundays leading to Christmas. The first candle represents hope; the second candle, peace; the third candle, joy; and the fourth candle, love. On Christmas Day we celebrate Jesus' birth.
Let us prepare for Jesus to return. We need to understand what the Scriptures are telling us. Let us pray for the Holy Spirit to give priests the virtue of Perseverance in preaching and teaching the truth.
