Monday of the Second Week of Advent, 2018

During these first two weeks of Advent, we reflect on the prophecies of Isaiah who predicts God’s saving work for the people of Israel. As Christians, it’s easy to read Isaiah’s words with Jesus in mind. The verses in today’s reading, “Then the eyes of the blind will be opened, the ears of the deaf be cleared; Then the lame will leap like a stag, then the tongue of the mute will sing” (Isaiah 35:5-6), immediately bring to mind the many miracles Jesus performed during his ministry — healing those bound with various afflictions. One of those miraculous healings we see in our Gospel from today, with Jesus healing the paralyzed person.

The reality, though, is that Jesus did not only heal people’s bodily ailments. Jesus also healed their spiritual sickness. He forgave their sins. He restored their standing in the community, allowing them to function in society. It was a holistic healing. Healing through the Lord is not something that only happened 2000 years ago. It continues to happen today. We can receive spiritual healing through the Sacraments, especially the Sacraments of Reconciliation and the Eucharist. In Reconciliation, the Lord forgives our sins; in the Eucharist, Jesus unites us to himself and to all the members of his body, the Church.

The Season of Advent helps us to look forward, with great anticipation, to the coming of the Lord as we remember and celebrate his Incarnation at Christmas, but also his second coming. As the Prophet Isaiah tells us, “Here is your God, he comes with vindication; With divine recompense, he comes to save you” (Isaiah 35:4). God comes to heal us; God comes to save us; God comes to unite us to himself and to his Church.