The Promise of God

Homily for Friday of the Second Week of Advent

You know, sometimes I really think the Lord just wants His Word to sink in and resonate with us. I kind of feel like that is the case this morning.

In our first reading, the Lord speaks to the people of Israel and to us through the words of the prophet Isaiah. In it, we are told of the promise of what is to come if we simply remain faithful to the commands of the Lord. Isaiah tells us what our inheritance will be if we simply strive to always follow the will of God: we’ll be given prosperity, vindication, abundance. Yet, despite knowing this, we constantly struggle with accomplishing the will of God. We continually turn away from what the Lord is asking us to do.

So this morning, I just want us to sit with this first reading and ask ourselves the question: even though we know what God has promised us – and He isn’t going back on His promise – why do we constantly turn away from Him? What keeps us from giving everything to the Lord and following His will?