Christianity is Forward Motion
Monday, December 11, 2023
by Fr. David M. Knight
View readings for 2nd Monday of Advent: https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings
Lectionary no. 181 (Isaiah 35:1-10; Psalm 85; Luke 5:17-26)
Say to those who are feeble… weak… frightened: “A highway will be there, called the holy way… It is for those with a journey to make.” Isaiah 35:4, 8
Father Walter Cisek, S.J., spent 14 years imprisoned in Siberia. When released, he took 10 steps out the gate and stopped. The guards all laughed, expecting it, because work parties were trained to do just that, and released prisoners invariably forgot they were free.
Christians need to remember that Jesus has made us free—not just from sin, but for a journey. We have places to go: Jesus is the Way. We have things to see: Jesus is the Truth. We have great deeds to perform: Jesus is the Life. We shouldn’t stop short.
Christianity says to those who are used to thinking of religion as confining: “A highway will be there, called the holy way.” What Christianity gives is not rules and restrictions, but goals and directions. “It is for those with a journey to make.”
If people are not willing to move, to change, to grow, the Church will leave them behind. We are a “pilgrim Church”—for those with a journey to make.
Baptism empowers us to walk on the level of God. In the Scriptures, Jesus shows us the path. Through Eucharist, he strengthens us. In the community, he walks with us.
DAILY PRACTICE: “Where am I going? Where was I yesterday? Where am I today? Where will I be tomorrow?”
ADVENT PRAYER: Jesus, you are the way to go.
Reflections brought to you by the Immersed in Christ Ministry
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