There are some words in Scripture that I think we can’t hear often enough. That applies to these words from today’s first reading:
“’Console my people, console them’ says your God…”
They touch the very depths of our hearts, offering comfort and hope whatever we face. Our world projects an image of how life should look. We see it on television, in films, in magazines and on social media.
We are supposed to be living “perfect” lives, happy, balanced and with everything we could possibly need or want. We find this image beguiling and attractive, and we don’t have to look very far before we begin to realise how little it matches the reality of our lives.
Isaiah allows us acknowledge our pain, our suffering, our brokenness. That in itself is a true gift. He frees us from having to live up to a false image of how our lives should be. Isaiah reminds us that we can come into God’s presence with all the jagged edges of our brokenness. We can bring to God all the hurts we carry, and all those we have inflicted on others.
We can trust Isaiah’s promise that we will be met, not with condemnation, but with the consolation of a God who knows our weakness and our suffering. Much as we need it and desire it, it is not always easy to open our hearts to such wholehearted consolation.
What would help you find the courage to open your heart to the consolation God offers you this Advent?