Tuesday of the First Week of Advent – Lk 10:21-24

As we know, Advent is a time of waiting, a time of anticipation and longing for Christ’s birth. This sense of longing is beautifully captured by Isaiah in today’s first reading. We do well to recall that Isaiah was probably writing between 750 and 700 BC, at a time when the world was anything but peaceful for the Israelites. Jesse was the father of King David, and the kings that followed from David left the country morally bankrupt and without hope: the stump and the roots are all that are left. To make matters worse, during Isaiah’s time Israel and Judah were engaged in civil wars, with those only to be followed by the Assyrian invasion. We can imagine the sort of response that Isaiah probably received when he made these prophecies, especially because they would only be fulfilled 700 years in the future. It is because of this that Isaiah exemplifies both parts of today’s Gospel: he was one of the prophets who longed to see the Christ, and he was one of the childlike to whom God revealed Himself. It’s interesting that this is one of the very few times in the Gospels that the adjective νήπιος (népios) “childlike” appears, and here it’s closely connected with Jesus’ profound rejoicing, one of the few times ἀγαλλιάω (agalliaó), is used. The connection isn’t immediately apparent, but we could say that to be childlike means to trust in God entirely, just as a child would trust entirely on their parents. Jesus doesn’t force us to trust Him, just like I can’t force someone to trust me. When we do trust in Him, though, He can work miracles through us; He can bring us to salvation. As Christ told Saint Faustina: “The graces of My mercy are drawn by means of one vessel only, and that is — trust. The more a soul trusts, the more it will receive.” God’s mercy is what will bring us to heaven, and that certainly delights Jesus’ Sacred Heart. As one author wrote even more succinctly, “We must never forget how much we please God when we go to Him with the simple confidence of children to confide our troubles and ask His help. Every person in the world likes to be trusted. So does God. He is most anxious to help us become better.” In short, then, trust leads to mercy which leads to salvation which leads to happiness. We can ask ourselves: how much do we really trust in God’s love for us? Do we trust like children? If not, what prevents us from doing so?

Today, let us pray for the grace, through the intercession of Mary, Our Lady of Trust, to trust entirely in God, and thus receive an abundance of graces.