Reflection
Justice shall flourish in his time, and fullness of peace forever.
Today’s responsorial song
Holy Cross Province has chosen the Advent theme of Hope on the Path to the Manger, An Advent Journey Through Compassion and Trust. It is hope that gets us started on the Advent journey and sustains us on the path to find Jesus once again in the manger.
Sometimes we fall into the trap of blurring the distinction between hope and wishful thinking. It is wishful thinking for me to say, “I hope I win the lottery,” for this is based on whether I am lucky enough to defy the odds. On the other hand, to say “I hope for a world where justice and peace prevail” can be understood as hope. Advent hope is not wishful thinking nor passive waiting, but an active longing for a better world. It is a hope sustained by the Holy Spirit, as Jesus proclaims in today’s Gospel.
Today’s reading from the Book of Isaiah reminds us that Christ’s coming is good news for the poor, the vulnerable, and all who long for justice and peace. And today’s responsorial psalm, Psalm 72, speaks of justice and peace as well. In our times, we may equate justice with our legal system, where a judge or jury determines innocence or guilt based on evidence, and the judge hands down a sentence. We may equate peace with the lack of conflict.
By contrast, justice and peace in the Bible are more challenging and relational.
Justice means seeking right relationship: with God, with one another, and with all of creation.
Justice is about repairing the breach—restoring what is broken in our world, especially where there has been oppression or exclusion. It is something we DO. It is rooted in the biblical prophets’ call to “do justice, love mercy, and walk humbly with your God.” (Micah 6:8) When right relationships are restored, there is real peace where families, neighborhoods, communities, and ecosystems thrive.
So, this Advent, we pray:
When our relationship with God has been broken by our turning to consumerism and workaholism, may we continue to hope for justice and peace.
When our relationships with others have been broken by our blindness to the growing disparity between the rich and the poor, may we continue to hope for justice and peace.
When our relationship with Creation has been broken by extraction, pollution and neglect, may we continue to hope for justice and peace.
And as we walk this Advent path together, let us prayerfully support each other to live in active hope. Amen.
