For the Third Sunday of Advent…
Then will the eyes of the blind be opened,
the ears of the deaf be cleared;
then will the lame leap like a stag,
then the tongue of the mute will sing.
Isaiah 35:5-6
At Mass this Sunday we have a beautiful aligning of the Old and New Testament readings, and how they unmistakably point to Jesus. I love it when even an 8-year-old can see God’s Word spelling out what the Church invites us not to miss. That God really intended to come and save us, to become one of us, and to prove it by signs and wonders so that we would not miss the point.
We start with the prophet Isaiah, looking forward 500 years before the time of Christ, and his beautiful prophetic description of the miraculous works of the God who will come to save. How will we know the Savior? The blind will see. The deaf will hear. The lame will move, and even leap! The mute will be known by their song.
In the Sunday Gospel, written centuries later, John the Baptist asks the poignant question to which I’m pretty sure he already knew the answer: “Are you the one who is to come, or should we look for another?” (Matthew 11:3). And the reply: “…tell John what you hear and see: the blind regain their sight, the lame walk, lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the poor have the good news proclaimed to them” (Matthew 11:4-5).
God never lies. He tells the truth. He shows up and does what he said he is going to do. His plan is awesome, and we can barely take in its magnitude. But we need to dwell with these words and this truth.
This is Gaudete Sunday: Christmas day is getting closer. We are to rejoice and be glad for the Lord, our Redeemer who works miracles, is close at hand! Let us pray and believe anew with psalmist…
The LORD God keeps faith forever! (Psalm 146:6)
