"Comfort, comfort my people," says the Lord

Today’s first reading is from Is. 40: 1-11, the same reading as for the second Sunday of Advent. What a reading. Through Isaiah, the Lord asks us to comfort each other, to talk tenderly to each other. Why? The mountains of our lives, the rugged ways, the hills will be leveled. Any leveling is painful. Mountains/hills/the rugged ways of pride, selfishness, narcissism, pragmatism and feverish activity to do everything we can do, to acquire everything that is acquirable, to achieve everything that is possible for us to achieve in one twenty-four hour day leaves little, if any time, for contemplation, prayer, being attentive to the needs of the lonely, the destitute, the unloving parts of ourselves and other; in short, we are unavailable for the important things of life: growing in our relationship with Christ and one another, being there for others in the way that Christ was present to those who came to Him for healing and to hear the Word of God.  “Talk tenderly” to those whose lives are shattered because of being sinned against or because of their own sinfulness; “talk tenderly” to yourself when you have sinned, messed up, made a mistake, alienated yourself from your loved ones and long for reconciliation.  God Himself tells us through Isaiah that He will lead us to the right path “with care.” He will take us by the hand as we enter into the time of awakening, a time of repentance, a time of purification that enables the glory of God to be revealed in us and through us.