Memorial of St. Ambrose, Bishop and Doctor of the Church
“A highway will be there, called the holy way… and on it, the redeemed will walk.” After Jesus cured the paralytic, the man picked up his mat and went home, praising God.
During Advent, we focus on our journey to and with the Lord. We await Jesus’ journeying to us, the Lord’s coming. We look forward to the Lord who travels to meet us. And we prepare for the Divine Messiah, the holy traveler who comes into our world and into our lives.
As we wait, we hope, and we look for many things. The account of the cure in the Gospel can be a reminder that we all need the healing that the Lord comes to bring. We all seek forgiveness. We long for wholeness. We always need to complete our transformation, our turning to the Lord. And just like the man in the Gospel, sometimes we must rely on others to assist us in finding the Lord, who brings healing and wholeness.
As we walk the road of redemption with Jesus as our guide, we may well take heart as we reflect on all the many expressions of redemption we hear in the prophecies of Isaiah: the desert will exult; the eyes of the blind will be opened; the ears of the deaf will be cleared; the lame will leap with joy; those whom the Lord has ransomed will return singing for joy.
Wherever we find ourselves on the road of salvation this year, all the ancient promises still hold true. The Lord will come and save us. The Lord reaches out to heal and forgive and to save.
A highway will be there, called the holy way. And on it, the redeemed will walk. We move forward in hope, which comes to meet us and deliver us. What will our redeeming look like this year? In what ways do we most seek the Lord’s deliverance?
Reflection by Fr. Peter Ullrich, OSB
Posted in Articles for Advent, Articles for Advent, Daily Reflections