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December 16, 2021In January of 2020, we first read the news about a mysterious virus that had made its way to our shores, first in the northeast and then spreading quickly throughout the land. At this time COVID 19 has taken the lives of almost three quarters of a million people in this country alone. If the first wave was not bad enough, its variants Delta and Omicron have now made their appearance.
Our response early in the pandemic was to shelter in place, closing the flaps of our tents to keep the contagion away from our loved ones and ourselves. As necessary and vital as this strategy was and still is, among its effects has been an isolation and insulation from one another driven by fear.
In the face of such fear, Isaiah today commands us to “break forth in jubilant song.”
“Enlarge the space for your tent, spread out your tent cloths unsparingly; lengthen your ropes and make firm your stakes.” Truly, “it is time to spread abroad to the right and to the left.”
During this Advent season when considering whom we are to shelter and safeguard with our care, concern, and outreach, we return once again to the question found in the Gospel of St. Luke, “and who is my neighbor?” Though it’s necessary to take unprecedented caution to mitigate the rise of new infection rates, our practical solidarity with those who continue to suffer cannot grow lukewarm.
With steadfast mercy and the promise of an enduring kingdom, the Lord calls us back to a fuller life for ourselves and our neighbor during these days and beyond. Indeed, there is everything to hope for now because of his promise, “My love shall never leave you.”
