Memory of the Mother of the Lord
Reading of the Word of God
Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia
The Spirit of the Lord is upon you.
The child you shall bear will be holy.
Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia
Isaiah 40,1-11
'Console my people, console them,' says your God. 'Speak to the heart of Jerusalem and cry to her that her period of service is ended, that her guilt has been atoned for, that, from the hand of Yahweh, she has received double punishment for all her sins.' A voice cries, 'Prepare in the desert a way for Yahweh. Make a straight highway for our God across the wastelands. Let every valley be filled in, every mountain and hill be levelled, every cliff become a plateau, every escarpment a plain; then the glory of Yahweh will be revealed and all humanity will see it together, for the mouth of Yahweh has spoken.' A voice said, 'Cry aloud!' and I said, 'What shall I cry?' -'All humanity is grass and all its beauty like the wild flower's. The grass withers, the flower fades when the breath of Yahweh blows on them. (The grass is surely the people.) The grass withers, the flower fades, but the word of our God remains for ever.' Go up on a high mountain, messenger of Zion. Shout as loud as you can, messenger of Jerusalem! Shout fearlessly, say to the towns of Judah, 'Here is your God.' Here is Lord Yahweh coming with power, his arm maintains his authority, his reward is with him and his prize precedes him. He is like a shepherd feeding his flock, gathering lambs in his arms, holding them against his breast and leading to their rest the mother ewes.
Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia
Look down, O Lord, on your servants.
Be it unto us according to your word.
Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia
Inspired by God, the prophet speaks to the exiled people who is saddened by their distance from Jerusalem and says words of consolation and comfort. On one hand he invites them to reflect on their weakness and the precariousness of life, on the other he urges them to turn their eyes to the Lord who did not abandon them, rather is coming to free them. We urgently must open a road in the desert to allow the Lord to come. The desert for us is that of the hearts; they are our cities which are deserts of love, life, dignity and therefore prey to violence, war, abandonment, and loneliness. The Lord comes to free people from the slavery of evil, sin, and selfishness. When the Word of God reaches the hearts of believers, it makes them flourish again and from a new heart anew world is born. The Lord asks the prophet to console his people, that is, to speak to their hearts so that they may begin to hope again, trusting not in themselves but in God who saves. He asks the prophet to console everyone and that no one be deprived of the announcement of the new times of salvation. That is why he exhorts him: "Get you up to a high mountain, O Zion, herald of good tidings; lift up your voice with strength, O Jerusalem, herald of good tidings." Christian communities, individual believers, we are all invited in the Advent season to welcome this word of hope.