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Advent Reflection: The Glory of the Lord Shall Be Revealed and All People Shall See It Together |
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Written by Msgr. David Ratermann
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Thursday, 18 December 2008 |
Msgr. Ratermann is a founder of the Latin America Apostolate, and served in Bolivia from 1956 to 2008.
 When the snow fell on November 30, I arose very early and sat at a window in the chapel where I live. Snow was falling and there was just enough light to see it come down; not like the rain, but in slow motion, delicate flakes of snow that floated very gracefully and landed covering the earth with a white blanket. I had not seen that sight for many years because I had been in Bolivia. I was fascinated as I gazed at that beautiful manifestation of the glory of the Lord in creation. "The glory of the Lord shall be revealed and all people shall see it together."
What kind of news do you hear, read or see on TV most often? Good news or bad news?
What would you rather hear? Good news or bad news, joyful news or sad news?
We need to hear, to read and to see good news. This Sunday there is good news. Really it is always good news! Even when, on the surface, it seems to be bad news, evil news, the truth is that God comes to conquer all that is evil and to give us the Good News of his love for us. Isaiah says: "The glory of the Lord shall be revealed and all people shall see it together."
What is Scripture really saying? The mountains shall be brought low and the valleys shall be filled, the crooked ways made straight, the rough ways smooth and a highway shall be prepared for the Lord. It is a poetic way of saying that the long-awaited Savior is to come and he will reveal the glory of the Lord. The Baptist’s role is to prepare the way so that "The glory of the Lord may be revealed and all people see it together."
The Good News is that God loves us with an exceedingly great love! That never changes! What does change? We do change! At times enthusiastic, at times indifferent or even opposed to God’s plan. We can change! We need to change! That’s what Advent is all about. John, the Baptist appeared in the desert preaching a baptism of change, of repentance, of forgiveness and of newness of life. "The glory of the Lord shall be revealed and all people shall see it together."
We are not only to change ourselves. We are also asked to bring change ... to be modern repetitions of John, the Baptist. The more we hear and respond to the invitations of Advent, so much the more do we become followers of the Baptist and of Jesus himself. The world is hungry for change. It was the watch word of the recent electoral campaign. Change is a watchword of every follower of Jesus.
The suffering brought upon us by the present recession is an invitation to change. On the surface it seems to be bad news; yet, at a deeper level it is a call to new life. It is an invitation from Jesus Himself. He wants to bring about a change in our world. And He wants to do it with our help, with our cooperation. Renewing the world is our vocation. Can we do it? Without Jesus, no. With Jesus, yes! "The glory of the Lord shall be revealed and all people shall see it together."
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